Zuckerberg testifies in landmark trial that could reshape Big Tech liability

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Courtroom in a landmark trial over claims that social media platforms hurt youngsters — his first time answering youth security allegations earlier than a jury.

The principle lawsuit, KGM v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California lady recognized by her initials. She claims Meta and different social media firms designed their platforms to draw younger customers, fueling her despair and suicidal ideas, and she or he is making an attempt to carry the businesses accountable.

Metas Instagram And Google’s YouTube denies the allegations, citing years of intensive security options and parental controls as a part of their protection. The tech titans are anticipated to level to different components in KGM’s lives, spotlight their investments within the security of younger folks and argue that they shouldn’t be held accountable for dangerous content material uploaded by customers.

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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., throughout a dinner with expertise leaders within the State Eating Room of the White Home in Washington, DC, on Thursday, September 4, 2025. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Photographs/Getty Photographs)

A verdict for the plaintiff, KGM, may set a precedent for the arrest technical companies accountable for dangerous design selections, regardless of years of efficiently invoking Part 230’s content material legal responsibility protect. Part 230 is a federal regulation that largely protects on-line platforms from lawsuits associated to user-posted content material.

A rejection of that protection may pave the best way for related lawsuits throughout the nation, exposing Meta and different tech firms to billions in damages and pressuring them to revamp their platforms.

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This picture illustration exhibits the TikTok app on a cellphone on March 13, 2024 in New York Metropolis. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photographs/Getty Photographs)

Along with this case, Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and attorneys common in federal courtroom.

The wave of lawsuits displays a rising backlash towards social media firms over considerations about their influence on youngsters’s psychological well being and security. Lawmakers, mother and father and regulators have more and more accused platforms of prioritizing progress and engagement over defending younger customers.

In New MexicoOpening statements started Monday in a separate case introduced by the state’s lawyer common accusing Meta of exposing minors to sexual exploitation and making the most of it — expenses the corporate denies.

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Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and attorneys common in federal courtroom. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs/Getty Photographs)

The analysis is just not restricted to the USA.

Nations together with Australia and Spain have taken steps to limit entry to social media for customers below the age of 16, citing considerations about habit, on-line hurt and psychological well being. Different governments are weighing related age-based limits as stress mounts globally.