<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mark Zuckerberg will testify in an unprecedented social media trial in the United States that questions whether Meta's platforms deliberately addict and harm children.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta's chief executive is expected to answer tough questions on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) from lawyers representing a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, who claims her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/esafety-testing-roblox-over-child-safety-social-media-ban/0412ca65-6e0c-4588-9a94-f40d96209136" rel="" target="_blank" title=" Gaming platform Roblox to be tested on child safety as concerns grow"><strong><span>Gaming platform Roblox to be tested on child safety as concerns grow</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Zuckerberg has testified in other trials and answered questions from the United States Congress about youth safety on Meta's platforms, and he apologised to families at that hearing whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were because of social media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This Los Angeles trial, though, marks the first time Zuckerberg will answer similar questions in front of a jury. Bereaved parents are again expected to be in the limited courtroom seats available to the public.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The case, along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies would play out.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/mark-zuckerberg-to-testify-in-social-media-addiction-trial/c4f2e056-f4d5-42e1-b955-668aba56a378" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One of Meta's lawyers, Paul Schmidt, said in his opening statement that the company is not disputing that KGM experienced mental health struggles, but rather that Instagram played a substantial factor in those struggles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/merrylands-stabbing-western-sydney/44aaf498-04eb-4ff3-9fa1-e2f1fef3feed" target="_blank"><strong><span>Murder accused had absconded from mental health facility days before western Sydney stabbing spree</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He pointed to medical records that showed a turbulent home life, and both he and a lawyer representing YouTube argue she turned to their platforms as a coping mechanism or a means of escaping her mental health struggles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Zuckerberg's testimony comes a week after that of Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta's Instagram, who said in the courtroom that he disagrees with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mosseri maintained that Instagram works hard to protect young people using the service, and said it's "not good for the company, over the long run, to make decisions that profit for us but are poor for people's well-being."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Much of Mosseri's questioning from the plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier, centred on cosmetic filters on Instagram that changed people's appearance - a topic that Lanier is sure to revisit with Zuckerberg. He is also expected to face questions about Instagram's algorithm, the infinite nature of Meta' feeds and other features the plaintiffs argue are designed to get users hooked.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meta is also facing a separate trial in New Mexico that began last week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>