Former federal prosecutor Andrew Cherkasky discusses Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s landmark addiction case on ‘Varney & Co.’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court in a landmark trial over claims that social media platforms harm children, marking the first time he has answered youth safety charges before a jury.
The main lawsuit, KGM v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California woman identified by her initials. She claims Meta and other social media companies designed their platforms to attract young users, fueling her depression and suicidal thoughts, and she is trying to hold the companies accountable.
META CEO TO TESTIFY IN HIGH-STRIKE TRIAL THAT COULD COST BIG TECH BILLIONS
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives at a Los Angeles court to testify in a landmark trial on social media addiction. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Metas Instagram And Google’s YouTube denies the allegations, citing years of extensive safety features and parental controls as part of their defense. The tech titan is expected to point out other factors in KGM’s lives, highlight their investments in the safety of young people and argue that they should not be held responsible for harmful content uploaded by users.
A verdict for the plaintiff could set a precedent for the arrest technical companies responsible for harmful design decisions, despite years of successfully invoking the content liability shield of Section 230 – a federal law that largely shields online platforms from lawsuits related to user-posted content. A rejection of that defense could pave the way for similar lawsuits across the country, exposing Meta and other tech companies to billions in potential damages and putting pressure on them to redesign their platforms.
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This is a development story; check back later for updates.
