Court orders Zuckerberg, Mosseri, and Spiegel to testify in January social media addiction trial

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel must testify in a trial set to begin in January. The case centers on social media safety, alleged addictive design, and potential harms to young users.

Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl wrote that a CEO’s testimony can be “uniquely relevant,” noting that knowledge of harms — and failures to mitigate them — could establish negligence or ratification of negligent conduct. Lawyers for Meta and Snap had argued the executives should be spared, warning it could set a precedent for future cases.

Key points

• Who must testify: Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Adam Mosseri (Instagram), Evan Spiegel (Snap).
• When/where: Trial begins January in Los Angeles.
• Focus: Whether platform design, policies, and enforcement contributed to addictive use and youth safety harms.
• Why it’s notable: First of many youth-harm lawsuits headed to trial; outcomes could shape platform policies and legal standards.

Why it matters

Requiring CEOs to testify under oath could surface internal research, risk assessments, and decision-making around features such as recommendation algorithms, time-on-platform mechanics, age-gating, and parental controls. Findings may influence future design changes, transparency, and regulatory action.

What to watch next

• Scope of testimony: Pretrial motions that could limit or expand CEO questioning.
• Discovery: Any internal documents or studies on youth well-being and engagement tactics.
• Potential remedies: Settlement vs. verdict; possible mandates around age verification, default time limits, or algorithmic opt-outs.

References:
Case overview and reporting

Discussion: If you had one question for these CEOs about youth safety and engagement design, what would you ask?