Mark Zuckerberg will testify this week in a landmark trial alleging that Meta’s (META) social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children.
The case was brought by a now 20-year-old woman, identified by initials KGM, who claims early social media use worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta (META) and Google’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) YouTube are the remaining defendants in the case; TikTok (BDNCE) and Snap (SNAP) have settled.
Zuckerberg, who has previously testified before Congress, will face a jury for the first time on similar youth-safety issues. The trial is one of three bellwether cases that could shape thousands of related lawsuits.
He is expected to face questions about Instagram’s algorithms, infinite scroll features, and appearance-altering filters. Meta is also facing a separate trial in New Mexico that began last week.
A Meta (META) spokesperson said the company strongly disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and said they are “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”
The testimony follows last week’s appearance by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, who rejected claims that social media is clinically addictive and defended the company’s safety efforts.