Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Instagram-owner Meta Platforms, struggled in court on Wednesday to defend his company from claims it targeted young users as he was confronted with multiple internal documents.
He maintained that lawyers were “mischaracterising” the communications, which were presented as part of a landmark trial in Los Angeles over whether social media platforms like Instagram are addictive for children.
It was Zuckerberg’s first appearance before a jury, after years of rising backlash against Meta, which also owns WhatsApp and Facebook.
The trial, in which Google’s YouTube is also a defendant, is being closely watched for its implications for thousands of similar lawsuits.
TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the lawsuit, settled shortly before trial was scheduled to begin. Terms of the settlements were not disclosed.
Meta repeatedly maintained that the company has taken action to protect young users and bars people under the age of 13.
But in court, Mark Lanier, the lawyer for the lead plaintiff in the case – known by her initials K.G.M – repeatedly presented internal emails, messages, and research showing Zuckerberg and other Meta employees discussing usage of Instagram and Facebook by teenagers and younger.
One email from 2019, sent to Zuckerberg and three top Meta executives, took issue with the company’s “unenforced” age limitations.
That made it “difficult to claim we’re doing all we can”, according to the email from Nick Clegg, who worked as Meta’s head of global affairs for several years after the former Liberal Democrat MP served as the UK’s deputy prime minister.
Lanier asked Zuckerberg about a 2019 research report from an outside company done on behalf of Instagram, which found that teens using the platform felt “hooked despite how it makes them feel”, adding that teen users had “an addicts’ narrative about their Instagram use.”
“It can make them feel good, it can make them feel bad, they wish they could spend less time caring about it,” the report said.
Zuckerberg noted that the research was not conducted inside Meta.
When Paul Schmidt, Meta’s lawyer, questioned Zuckerberg on the same report, he said that it also mentioned “positive” aspects of Instagram use that came from the research.
Schmidt positioned the report as part of Meta’s ongoing efforts to conduct research on how its platforms are used and continuously improve them.
Another presentation from 2018 showed the firm discussing the successful retention of “tweens” on the platform, despite the company’s claims that such users were not allowed.
Zuckerberg said he “always” regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13, but he believed the company had reached the “right place over time”.
He noted that teen users represented “less than 1%” of ad revenue for the company and accused Lanier of taking the tween document out of context.
Zuckerberg said his company had had “various discussions” about building versions of its products that could be used by children under 13 “in a regulated way”.
He pointed to his company’s Messenger Kids service, which he said was “not very popular” but that he uses it “with my own kids.” Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have three children.
“You’re mischaracterising what I’m saying,” Zuckerberg added. “I’m not surprised that people internally were studying this.”
Lanier also confronted Zuckerberg about efforts to get teens to use the platform.
He presented emails from Zuckerberg as well as other internal messages, in which employees discussed in clear terms “teen usage” and how to increase it.
In one from 2015, Zuckerberg told a group of executives that his goals for the year included seeing “time spent increase by 12%” and the “teen trend be reversed.”
A separate 2017 email from an executive stated that “Mark has decided the top priority for the company is teens”.
Zuckerberg said that “at an earlier point in the company” he gave executives goals to increase time spent, but insisted that was no longer how the company operated.
Under Schmidt’s questioning, Zuckerberg explained that had Meta only focused on metrics like time spent on its platforms, they would not have lasted this many years.
Zuckerberg noted that he’d worked for years to address “problematic use” of platforms like Instagram “because it’s the right thing to do.”
Schmidt referenced Instagram tools released in 2018 that allow an Instagram user to set up daily use limits, alerts for time spent, and turn off notifications at night.
Lanier later pointed to an internal Meta document that showed how scarcely teens had elected to use these tools. Only 1.1% of teen users used the daily use limit, for instance.
K.G.M., who started using Instagram when she was nine years old, attended the proceedings on Wednesday, sitting directly across from Zuckerberg, who arrived at court with an entourage of security and associates.
Bereaved parents were also among those in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, although only a small number were allowed seats.
More parents and family members were gathered outside the courthouse to show their support for others who had seen children suffer from what they deemed the ill effects of social media use and addiction.
Lori Schott was one such parent. She wore a large badge showing a photo of her daughter Annalee Schott who killed herself at the age of 18.
“These platforms can change,” Schott said outside court. “It wouldn’t take long to change the algorithmic content so kids aren’t killing themselves. Is it that hard to do, Mr. Zuckerberg?”
The trial is expected to last several weeks. It will include testimony from former Meta employees who have since spoken out about on the company’s practices.
YouTube boss Neal Mohan had also been expected to appear but is no longer being called for testimony, the BBC has learned.
In questioning last week, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, challenged the idea of social media addiction, arguing that even 16-hours of Instagram use in a single day did not show an addiction.
In his own testimony, Zuckerberg said that if something is of value, “people tend to use it more.”
Lanier noted that people who are addicted to something also tend to increase their use.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” Zuckerberg replied. “I think that may be true but I don’t know if that applies here.”
If you’ve been affected by issues involving suicide or feelings of despair, details of organisations offering advice and support for people in the UK are available from BBC Action Line. Help and support outside the UK can be found at Befrienders Worldwide.
The case is one of thousands of similar lawsuits brought by families, state prosecutors and school districts currently winding their way through US courts.
The lawsuits accuse Meta and other social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat and Youtube, of functioning in an addictive manner that ultimately has harmed many children.
In one such case, 29 state attorney generals are pushing a California federal court to demand that the platforms make a number of changes immediately, before any trial, including forcing Meta to remove all accounts known to belong to users under 13 years of age.
A growing number of countries are moving to restrict social media use by young people. Australia late last year implemented a ban on social media accounts for people under age 16.
The UK, Denmark, France and Spain are considering similar measures.
