Los Angeles, February 19, 2026 — Mark Zuckerberg has testified in a U.S. courtroom for the first time in a landmark case examining the impact of social media on children’s mental health. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, accuses Meta and YouTube of deliberately designing their platforms to keep young users engaged for extended periods, contributing to anxiety, depression, and body image issues.
The case centers on a 20-year-old plaintiff identified as Kaley, who alleges she became addicted to Instagram while in elementary school. According to the complaint, the platform’s interface and recommendation systems encouraged prolonged use, negatively affecting her mental health and self-image. Legal experts say the outcome of this case could influence hundreds of similar lawsuits filed by parents across the United States.
During the proceedings, plaintiffs’ attorneys presented internal Meta documents suggesting that features such as Instagram’s “Reels” significantly increased user time spent on the platform, partly in response to competition from TikTok. Zuckerberg acknowledged that time-spent metrics were used to measure competitive performance but denied that the company’s goal was to create short-term addiction. Instead, he argued, Meta aimed to deliver long-term value to users.
The court also examined concerns surrounding Instagram’s beauty filters. Plaintiffs claim these features may harm teenage girls’ self-esteem by reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards. Zuckerberg responded that while Meta considered removing certain features, it opted instead to adjust recommendation settings to balance free expression with user safety.
Although Instagram’s policy prohibits users under 13 from creating accounts, internal reports from 2015 indicated that nearly 30 percent of U.S. children aged 10 to 12 were using the platform. Zuckerberg testified that age verification has historically posed technical and privacy challenges but said Meta now employs artificial intelligence tools to better estimate users’ ages. He added that teenage users account for less than one percent of the company’s total revenue.
Outside the courthouse, several parents staged protests, alleging that social media addiction had severely harmed their children. The issue echoes earlier congressional scrutiny, including Zuckerberg’s 2024 testimony before the U.S. Congress, where he apologized to families who said their children were harmed by online platforms.
The ruling in the current case is expected to set a significant precedent in the ongoing legal and public debate over the responsibility of social media companies in safeguarding young users’ mental health.
