Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg testified in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, revealing he contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2018 to address young users’ wellbeing online.
Defence barrister Paul Schmidt referenced their email exchange to highlight Zuckerberg’s proactive steps.
“I thought there were opportunities that our company and Apple could be doing and I wanted to talk to Tim about that,” Zuckerberg said. He added, “I care about the wellbeing of teens and kids who are using our services.”
The case, likened to the tobacco industry’s reckoning, probes social media’s youth safety record. Plaintiffs spotlight Instagram filters simulating cosmetic surgery, which Instagram head Adam Mosseri addressed earlier.
Zuckerberg admitted consulting experts but lifted a ban he called “paternalistic,” saying, “It sounds like something I would say and something I feel. It feels a little overbearing.”
Despite a University of Chicago study warning of harm to teen girls, he prioritised expression. “I genuinely want to err on the side of giving people the ability to express themselves.”
Meta executive Margaret Stewart backed his call despite personal doubts from family experience. Zuckerberg noted internal dissent is welcome but dismissed studies for lacking causation proof.
“I don’t have a college degree in anything,” he said, adding, “I agree I do not know the legal understanding of causation, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how statistics work.”
The suit, from late January, involves a young woman’s addiction claims against Instagram and YouTube. Zuckerberg downplayed engagement goals from a 2015 email as aspirational, despite targets of 40 daily minutes in 2023 and 46 in 2026.
He admitted underage users—four million under-13s in the U.S.—falsify ages, with Meta removing known cases, though critics mocked age disclaimers for nine-year-olds.
Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl warned against Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses in court. “If you have done that, you must delete that, or you will be held in contempt of the court. This is very serious.” Zuckerberg clarified board firing powers, joking he is “very bad” at media.
Plaintiffs fault Meta and peers for hiding mental health risks as Snapchat and TikTok settled.
Mosseri noted that overuse varies personally. “So it’s a personal thing, but yeah, I do think it’s possible to use Instagram more than you feel good about.”
New Mexico’s AG Raúl Torrez accuses Meta of enabling child exploitation, with a California case pending.