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

TechCrunch

by Sarah Perez

February 19, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, faced intense questioning in court during a landmark trial examining whether social media platforms like Instagram are addictive and harmful to teens. The trial, held in L.A. Superior Court, revealed internal company research indicating that even with parental supervision, teenagers often struggle to resist compulsive use of social media. Teens experiencing trauma were found to be particularly vulnerable to overuse. Lawyers for the plaintiff, a 20-year-old identified as KGM, challenged Zuckerberg about Instagram's design goals, including efforts to increase daily app usage. Internal documents and emails, such as one from 2015 where Zuckerberg pushed to boost user engagement by 12%, were presented as evidence. The trial also highlighted concerns over Instagram's use of beauty filters, which Meta’s own experts recommended banning for teens due to their potential negative impact on mental health. Additionally, internal Meta documents revealed that millions of children under the age of 13 had Instagram accounts, including nearly 30% of U.S. children aged 10-12. Zuckerberg argued that enforcing age verification was difficult and suggested that companies like Apple

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Originally published on TechCrunch on 2/19/2026