Zuckerberg denies in court that he allows children access to Instagram

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied allegations that his company allows children under the age of thirteen to access Facebook and Instagram during a trial in Los Angeles.

In the proceedings, which concern a lawsuit filed by a California woman for alleged damage to her mental health during childhood, he faced questions about internal documents and his previous statements before Congress.

The plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier, pointed to internal materials that suggested an effort to attract younger users. Zuckerberg responded that his statements had been misinterpreted and that Meta had considered safe versions of its services for children, but that the Instagram project for children under thirteen had ultimately not been implemented. According to him, the company is working on protective measures.

Zuckerberg also faced questions about goals to increase time spent on the app. He admitted that such goals existed in the past but claims that the approach has changed.

The landmark trial is part of a broader wave of lawsuits in the US concerning the impact of social media on the mental health of young users. Australia was the first country in the world to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media last year, and similar measures are also being discussed in many other countries.

(reuters, max)