Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Meta, spoke in a big court case. He said his company's social media is not made to be addictive. He also said it does not hurt young people's minds. Meta and Google are in court in Los Angeles. Lawsuits say platforms like Instagram make people dependent. This can cause anxiety and depression in teens.
Zuckerberg's words were very important. Lawyers for the users are challenging the tech companies' defense. The companies say users are responsible for harm. Lawyers showed old Meta papers from 2014 to 2019. These papers seemed to show Meta knew about the addictive effects. However, Zuckerberg said these papers were misunderstood. He also said science does not prove social media hurts teen mental health.
This trial will last for weeks. Many other lawsuits against social media companies are waiting. TikTok and Snapchat already settled their cases. This shows the seriousness of the accusations. Zuckerberg said Meta cares about safety. He mentioned their rule against users under thirteen. He also said past science does not prove social media makes teen mental health worse.
The main idea from the lawsuits is that Meta designed its apps to keep people using them. This makes more money from ads. This happens even if it hurts users' minds. They think this is using young people for money. Zuckerberg said he did not lie to Congress. He strongly disagreed with that idea.
This trial is very important. If Meta loses, other tech companies could face more lawsuits. The case also makes people talk more about social media and young people. Parents protested outside the court. This shows how much people care. The result will affect future rules for technology companies.