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Meta’s Zuckerberg grilled by lawyers in landmark US social media addiction trial

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by ReutersFebruary 18, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Meta’s Zuckerberg grilled by lawyers in landmark US social media addiction trial
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In a landmark US trial concerning social media addiction, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in court on Wednesday, defending his previous statements to Congress. A lawyer representing a plaintiff accusing Meta of harming her mental health questioned Zuckerberg about his 2024 testimony, where he stated the company did not aim to maximize user time on its apps. The lawyer presented emails from 2014 and 2015 showing Zuckerberg setting goals to increase app usage by double-digit percentages. Zuckerberg maintained that while such goals existed in the past, Meta's approach has since changed, and he refuted claims that his testimony was inaccurate. This marks Zuckerberg's first court appearance addressing Instagram's impact on the mental health of young users.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Los Angeles 30% Instagram 40% Amy Neville 40% Facebook 40% Congress ×250% Mark Lanier 60% United States 70% Meta Platforms ×280% Mark Zuckerberg ×690%

Keywords

social media addiction 90% mark zuckerberg 80% meta platforms 70% mental health 70% trial 60% social media 60% time spent 50% youth 50% instagram 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source
South China Morning Post
Political Lean
Center-Right (0.50)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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social media addictionmark zuckerbergmeta platformsmental healthtrialsocial mediatime spentyouthinstagram
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