Zuckerberg grilled in court over social media harms on teens | TechCrunch

"The trial, taking place in L.A. Superior Court, already revealed that Meta's own research indicated that parental supervision couldn't prevent teens from compulsive use of social media, and teens who faced traumatic life experiences were even more inclined to overuse social media. Lawyers for the plaintiff, a 20-year-old who goes by her initials KGM, questioned Zuckerberg this week about whether Instagram employees were given goals to increase daily app usage."

"The Meta CEO had said during an earlier Congressional hearing that this was not the case, the AP noted, but a 2015 email chain presented as evidence in the trial showed Zuckerberg pushing to increase users' time spent in app by 12%. Zuckerberg was also asked about Instagram's use of beauty filters, which Meta's own experts said should be banned when it comes to teens, as well as internal documents with Meta's estimates of how many children under the age of 13 were on the platform."

"One Meta document from 2018 stated that , as of 2015, 4 million children under 13 had Instagram accounts, including roughly 30% of children aged 10-12 in the U.S., for instance. Here, Zuckerberg pushed back, saying age verification was difficult and smartphone makers like Apple could be more helpful on this front. Reports from the courtroom noted Zuckerberg largely stuck to the company's talking points during his testimony, sometimes claiming the plaintiff's lawyers were taking things out of context or mischaracterizing what documents said."

A Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges Meta's social apps are addictive and harmful to teens and children. Internal Meta research found parental supervision often could not prevent compulsive teen use and that teens with traumatic experiences were more prone to overuse. Evidence presented included a 2015 email chain showing a push to increase time spent in the app by 12%, concerns about beauty filters for teens, and internal estimates that millions under 13 had Instagram accounts. Zuckerberg testified that age verification is difficult, urged device makers like Apple to assist, and disputed characterizations of documents. The plaintiff, identified by initials KGM, alleges harm and questions product design and company incentives.

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