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Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in Los Angeles. He said flat out that Instagram does not target children. He said users under thirteen are not allowed on the app. But the fight in court sharpened when the plaintiffs pointed to internal company documents. Those documents talked about tweens as a pipeline to teens. That put Metas’ whole youth plan under a microscope.
Are Instagram and YouTube “addiction machines”? (BBC News)
The clip sets up why this trial really matters. It is not just about what people post. It is about whether the way apps are built and the goals to keep people on them can be treated as causing real harm. The case centers on someone who says Instagram and YouTube helped cause depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta argues the platforms are not the main cause of that.
Outside court reactions are split and emotional. Parents and advocates say the way companies talk to young users proves they went after kids while age limits were not being enforced. Defenders say enforcing those limits is technically hard. They say the way people talk about teen usage is being taken out of context. They also say the claims about harm still need clear proof that one thing caused the other.
Here is a straight, courtroom-focused report on Zuckerberg being confronted with internal materials for tweens and teens and with doubts about age limit enforcement.
Meta’s Zuckerberg faces questioning at youth addiction trial • FRANCE 24 English
The stakes are huge because this is a bellwether fight. That means it is a test case. If a jury agrees that platforms can be held responsible for addictive design and not just for what users post it could change how thousands of other similar lawsuits are argued. It could also change how social media apps are built for young people from now on.
