A series of pilot cases alleging that social media has harmed the safety and mental health of teenagers are set to go to trial this year, putting executives like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the stand to answer questions about what they have done or failed to do to protect children.
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Unlike many previous legal challenges against social media companies, these cases have managed to overcome the companies’ attempts to dismiss them on grounds of Section 230, a law that protects online platforms from being held liable for their users’ speech. They accuse companies like Meta, Snap, TikTok and Google-owned YouTube of designing their platforms in ways that the plaintiffs say they knew could contribute to addiction, depression and anxiety.
Today, 4:59 PM UTC: Zuckerberg enters court to testify about Instagram security. The Meta CEO walked through the public entrance of Los Angeles Superior Court and past supportive parents and media outlets waiting to see if they would be able to take the stand to hear his testimony.
Today, 1:00 PM UTC: Mark Zuckerberg testifies as social media takes the stand. Lori Schott didn’t care what it would take to get from her small town in Eastern Colorado to a Los Angeles courthouse where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify. “I didn’t care if I had to hire a mule to get here, I was going to be here,” she told The Verge outside the courthouse.
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Schott's daughter, Annalee, committed suicide at age 18 in 2020 after struggling with body image issues that her mother says were exacerbated by social media. After her death, Schott found diary entries in which Annalee belittled her appearance and compared herself to other girls' profiles.
Internal conversations show how social media companies discussed teen engagement. Newly released documents show the big business opportunity social media companies saw in attracting teens to their platforms and how they discussed the risks that intense digital engagement could bring. The documents were released last week as part of a large series of lawsuits brought by school districts, state attorneys general and others against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube, alleging that the design of their products harmed young users.
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On Monday, a federal judge will hear arguments that will determine the scope of the trials, the first of which begins in June. 2026 is the year of the social media legal crisis. Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to testify to defend their companies from an avalanche of allegations about their failure to protect children.
