Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in court on Wednesday to face allegations that his company is targeting young users. In a landmark trial in Los Angeles discussing whether social media is addictive for children, Zuckerberg denied the charges, which were supported by the company’s internal documents. During his defense, Zuckerberg claimed that lawyers had misrepresented the company’s internal correspondence. This is Zuckerberg’s first testimony before a jury after years of backlash against Meta, which also owns WhatsApp and Facebook.
“Elchi” reports that the case, which also includes YouTube (owned by Google), is being closely watched as it could set a precedent for thousands of similar cases. TikTok and Snapchat, which were also named in the case, reached an agreement shortly before the trial began, but the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Age limit and internal correspondence caused controversy
Meta claims that it prohibits users under the age of 13 from accessing the platform and takes the necessary steps to protect young people.
However, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, presented the court with an email showing that the company had expressed concerns about the age restrictions not being enforced. The email, sent by Meta’s global affairs manager Nick Clegg, stated that the lack of age control made it difficult for the company to claim that it was doing its best.
Another presentation in 2018 showed discussions about strategies to keep children under the age of 13 on the platform. Zuckerberg claimed that these documents were taken out of context, stating that they had various discussions about creating a controlled version for children under the age of 13.
He cited the Messenger Kids app, which he uses with his own children, as an example, saying he regretted not making faster progress in identifying underage users, but believed they achieved it in time.
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