Zuckerberg, Mosseri, and Spiegel ordered to testify in January trial on social media addiction and youth safety

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 closely watched case centers on social media safety, alleged addictive design features, and 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 argued the executives should be spared from testifying, but the court disagreed.

Key points

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

Why this matters

Putting CEOs under oath could surface internal research, risk assessments, and decision-making around features like recommendation algorithms, time-on-platform mechanics, age-gating, and parental controls. Findings could influence future design changes, transparency, and potential regulatory action.

What to watch next

• Scope of testimony: Pretrial motions that may limit or expand CEO questioning.
• Discovery: 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:
Engadget: Executives ordered to testify

Discussion: If you could ask one question about youth safety and engagement design, what would you pose to these CEOs on the stand?