Mark Zuckerberg Takes the Stand in Social Media Addiction Trial

In a crowded Los Angeles courtroom, a lawyer projected a frowning stick figure and asked Mark Zuckerberg whether a reasonable company should help, ignore or prey on a vulnerable child. Clad in a navy blue suit and gray tie, Meta’s chief executive replied, “I think a reasonable company should try to help a person that uses its services,” as he testified in a landmark tech addiction case against Meta and YouTube.

Meta has faced criticism from parents, tech policy and child safety groups who say the company hooked young people on its apps and caused mental health problems including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm. Internal documents shown at the trial suggested Meta leaders played down risks to young people and resisted calls to bolster youth guardrails; plaintiff K.G.M.

has accused the platforms of engineering compulsive use that led to body dysmorphia, anxiety and depression. On the stand, Mr.

United States, Los Angeles

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