Zuckerberg testifies for eight hours in landmark social media addiction trial

Mark Zuckerberg testified for nearly eight hours on February 18, 2026, at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in the first major case testing whether social media platforms are legally liable as defective products for deliberately designing addictive features that harm children. The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman who alleges she became addicted to Instagram at age 9, developing depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. This was Zuckerberg's first time testifying about child safety before a jury. The verdict could shape more than 1,600 similar lawsuits nationwide.