Mark Zuckerberg Denies Instagram Targets Children In Landmark Social Media Trial

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom about whether his company deliberately designed Instagram to hook children, facing questions about internal documents that appear to contradict his public statements.

A California woman known as “Kaley” is suing Meta and Google’s YouTube, claiming they designed addictive features that hooked her at age nine. She says the platforms fueled her depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts.

Kaley’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, presented Zuckerberg with internal Meta documents that contradicted his public position. Zuckerberg told Congress in 2024 that users under 13 are not allowed on Instagram. However, Lanier showed a 2015 internal document estimating over 4 million Instagram users were under 13.

A 2018 internal Instagram presentation stated: “If we want to win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens.”

Zuckerberg responded that Lanier was “mischaracterising what I am saying.” He explained that Meta discussed creating a version of Instagram for children under 13 but never built it.

Naija News gathered that Instagram began asking new users to input a birthdate in December 2019. Before that, the platform simply asked users to confirm they were above 13.

Lanier questioned whether Meta tried to maximize time users spent on Instagram. Zuckerberg said the company had time-specific goals “earlier on,” but shifted its focus to “utility and value.”

“There’s a basic assumption I have that if something is valuable, then people will do it more,” Zuckerberg testified.

Lanier presented a December 2015 email where Zuckerberg outlined a three-year plan, including “Time plus 10 per cent for Instagram.”

“We used to give teams goals, we changed that because I don’t think it’s the best way to run the company,” Zuckerberg replied.

A Meta spokesperson said the company “strongly disagrees” with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”

Meta’s legal team argues that Kaley’s troubled family life, not social media, caused her mental health challenges. YouTube also denies the claims in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit serves as a test case for thousands of similar claims against Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok filed by families, school districts and states across the United States. Snap and TikTok settled with the plaintiff before the trial began.

Zuckerberg testified for more than five hours on Wednesday.