Mark Zuckerberg will be questioned in court in a trial about the effects of social media on children's mental health
Mark Zuckerberg, hearing in the US Congress. Photo credit: SOPA Images, SOPA Images Limited / Alamy / Profimedia
The CEO of Meta Platforms and the founder of the social network Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, will be questioned for the first time by a US court on Wednesday about the effects of Instagram on the mental health of young users, in a lawsuit opened by a woman with depressive problems who claims that her addiction to social media amplified her depression and suicidal thoughts, reports Reuters.
Although Mark Zuckerberg previously testified on this subject before the US Congress, the stakes of this trial, held in Los Angeles, California, could be major, as Meta risks having to pay damages if he loses the case, writes Agerpres.
This case involves a California woman who started using Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube as a child. She claims that these companies are trying to profit by attracting children with their services, even though they are aware that social media could harm their mental health.
The same woman claims that social media apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts, and therefore wants to hold the companies that own these apps responsible for her disorders.
Studies do not confirm that social networks affect children's mental health – Meta claims
Meta's lawyer noted in court that the woman's medical records showed that her problems stemmed from a troubled childhood and that social media was a creative tool for her.
Meta and Google have denied the allegations and highlighted their efforts to add features for user safety. Meta also cited research from the US National Academy of Sciences, according to which studies do not confirm that social media affects children's mental health.
Beyond this process, however, there is a global backlash against social media platforms, suspected of harming children's mental health.
Australia and Spain have banned access to social media platforms for users under 16, and other countries are considering similar restrictions. In the US, the state of Florida has banned companies from allowing access to users under the age of 14, a measure challenged in court by companies in the information technology sector.
The California lawsuit serves as a test case for similar allegations made in other complaints against Meta, Google, Alphabet, Snap and TikTok. Families, schools and public authorities have filed thousands of such lawsuits in the US, accusing social media companies of fueling a mental health crisis among young people.
