Meta & Google Face Social Media Addiction Trial: Zuckerberg’s Accountability & Wealth Scrutiny

Meta and Google face an LA social media addiction trial where 86% of Americans seek accountability for harm to children. Mark Zuckerberg was grilled on training and wealth; Meta tried to block questions about his fortune. The landmark trial's outcome will set a precedent for future cases nationwide.

As The Message exclusively reported earlier this month, a poll organized by the Technology Oversight Task found that 86% of Americans desire Meta and Google held responsible for their duty in a social media addiction situation that has actually sustained anxiety, consuming problems and even self-destruction amongst children.

Throughout one more exchange at the social networks dependency test, Lanier grilled Zuckerberg about the “substantial media training” he has gotten given that founding Facebook and its duty in protecting the firm’s bottom line.

The Los Angeles court test is seen as a key bellwether for the industry. The outcome could decide exactly how comparable trials around the nation are made a decision for years to come. The trial is anticipated to stretch right into March.

Zuckerberg’s Senate Hearing Stance

It was during that Senate hearing that Zuckerberg infamously stood up and apologized to the family members of sufferers of social media harm, including some that had actually devoted self-destruction after being targeted in on-line “sextortion” stories. When Hawley asked Zuckerberg if he prepared to compensate the households, Zuckerberg replied, “I don’t believe so.”

Meta’s Wealth Secrecy Attempt

Meta silently attempted to obstruct lawyers from asking Mark Zuckerberg regarding his huge lot of money at the bombshell social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, according to court records examined by The Message.

In the filing, complainants’ lawyers suggested Zuckerberg’s large wide range was “directly appropriate to substantive problems the court must resolve during the liability stage of this trial, consisting of whether Meta’s conduct made up malignance.”

The Los Angeles jury trial is viewed as a key bellwether for the market. The outcome could decide how similar tests around the nation are decided for years to come. The trial is anticipated to extend into March.

Court Ruling on Financial Inquiries

Meta’s request to quash the cash questions remains under seal. It resulted in a partial triumph for Meta, with California state Court Carolyn B. Kuhl judgment that concerns concerning Zuckerberg’s payment and stock holdings were allowed, while details inquiries associated with his total net worth and properties like building and homes were prohibited.

The proprietor of Instagram and Facebook made a confidential request to “secure Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, and controlling investor, from the similar scrutiny that witnesses have encountered,” according to a filing unsealed last Friday in Los Angeles Area Superior Court.

Survivor Parents at the Courthouse

Survivor moms and dads Deb Schmill, Judy Hogg, Toney Roberts and Brandy Roberts pay attention as a legal representative speaks to the press outside the Los Angeles Superior Court at United States Court Residence on February 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. Getty Images

Survivor moms and dads Deborah Schmill, Judy Hogg, Toney Roberts and Brandy Roberts pay attention as an attorney speaks with journalism outside the Los Angeles Superior Court at United States Court Residence on February 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. Getty Images

Complainants’ Profit-Over-Harm Claims

The complainants declare that Zuckerberg– that currently places as the globe’s fifth-richest individual with a personal net worth of $231 billion, according to Bloomberg– turned a blind eye to widespread harm to teenagers caused by his applications in order to safeguard his profits.

“While Mark Zuckerberg’s monetary standing refers public record, based on the Court’s existing orders and established California regulation, it is not pertinent to this situation,” a Meta agent said in a declaration.

Mark Lanier, the lawyer for the California woman identified as “KGM” that asserts Meta’s apps trashed her psychological health, made a snarky mention of Zuckerberg’s “investing habits,” according to a transcript of the hearing.