WASHNGTON - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify at a groundbreaking social media addiction trial, summoned by lawyers representing a plaintiff who alleges Instagram and other platforms were deliberately designed to make young users addicted.
The 41-year-old head of Meta -- which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp -- is the most anticipated witness in the California trial, the first in a series of cases that could set legal precedent for thousands of lawsuits filed by American families against major social media platforms.
The trial will mark the first time the multibillionaire will address the safety of his world-dominating platforms directly before a jury.
Zuckerberg's controversial reputation has loomed over the proceedings since jury selection, when Meta's lawyers worked to exclude California residents deemed too hostile toward the Facebook founder.
The 12 jurors in Los Angeles will hear testimony until late March to decide whether Google-owned YouTube and Meta's Instagram bear any responsibility for the mental health problems suffered by Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old California resident who has been a heavy social media user since childhood.
Kaley G.M. started using YouTube at age 6, Instagram at 11, then TikTok and Snapchat.
The trial will determine whether Google and Meta deliberately designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people, damaging their mental health in the process.
The case, along with two similar trials scheduled in Los Angeles this summer, aims to establish a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide among young people.
The proceedings focus solely on app design, algorithms and personalisation features, since US law grants platforms nearly complete immunity from liability over user-generated content.
TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the complaint, reached confidential settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began.