Meta's Zuckerberg testifies about social media's effects on children in landmark trial

Source: CNN Business

Updated Feb 18, 2026, 7:53 PM ET
PUBLISHED Feb 18, 2026, 5:00 AM ET


New York - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled Wednesday about whether his company intentionally designed Instagram to be addictive, in front of the young woman accusing Meta and YouTube of hooking her as a child and damaging her mental health.

The Meta CEO, testifying before a jury for the first time on years-old claims about social media harming children’s mental health, said he believed he has navigated the safety of young users “in a reasonable way.”

But parents who traveled from across the country for the trial, saying their children had been hurt or died because of social media, painted a different picture outside the Los Angeles courtroom, describing a company that they say preyed on and exploited their children in the name of profits.

The outcome of this trial, in which a young woman, “Kaley,” accuses Meta and YouTube of designing addictive features to hook her as a small child, could serve as a bellwether for hundreds of other cases. If the companies lose, they could be on the hook for potentially billions in damages and forced to make changes to platforms that have shaped how many people live. Zuckerberg exited from a back door of the courthouse after concluding more than five hours of testimony on Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/18/tech/meta-mark-zuckerberg-testifies-social-media-addiction-trial