Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand as social media goes on trial

Lori Schott didn’t care what it took to make her way from her small town in eastern Colorado to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify on Wednesday. “I didn’t care if I had to hire a mule to come here, I would be here,” she said. Edge Out of court Tuesday.

Schott’s daughter, Annaleigh, died by suicide at age 18 in 2020, after suffering from body image issues that her mother says were exacerbated by social media. After her death, Schott found journal entries where Annalee belittled her appearance and compared herself to other girls’ profiles. “I was very concerned about what my child was posting online, and I didn’t realize what she was receiving,” Schott said.

The way Meta and Google-owned YouTube have designed their products — which allegedly lure users into a continuous loop of clicks and scrolls — is at the heart of this month’s groundbreaking social media experiment. That defines theatre For thousands of similar lawsuits. Companies have Generally rejected Claims. Schott and several other surviving parents made it their mission to be in the courtroom during the multi-week trial in downtown Los Angeles.

Last week, parents heard from Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, who used his time to differentiate between clinical social media addiction and social media addiction. What he called “Problematic use.” on the platform, Mosri to attest That using Instagram “too much” is relative and can vary from person to person, and that he would not use the term addiction to social media use Up to 16 hours per day. Mosseri explained why Meta amended its prior ban on photo filters that alter users’ appearance, after discussing their potential negative effects on mental health. While the plaintiff argued that Meta is motivated by profits and engagement at the expense of users’ safety, Mosseri said the two are compatible. “In general, we should focus on protecting minors, but I think in the long run protecting minors is good for business and good for profit,” he said. according to CNBC.

Many parents They camped all night in the rain To make sure they get places behind Mosseri as he takes the stage. One of them was Julianna Arnold, whose daughter Coco died of fentanyl poisoning at 17 after she met a dealer on Instagram who she believed sold her Percocet. The parents wore rain ponchos, played cards, drank coffee, and told stories all night. “Everyone was like, ‘You’re crazy,'” she said. “But we didn’t feel like we were crazy, because we were so determined to have parent survivors in the courtroom.”

For Schott, who also stayed through the night to see Mosseri’s testimony, the reality of his presence in the room quickly became overwhelming. “I was really hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as it was,” said Schott, who left his testimony early after overhearing the Instagram CEO discuss documents about engagement, earnings and internal research on girls’ mental health. “It’s that bad.”

On Wednesday, Zuckerberg is likely to expand on Mosseri’s testimony and explain the company’s options. While Mosseri is the product lead at the center of the trial, Zuckerberg’s role as founder and CEO means the plaintiff’s lawyers are likely to ask him to explain choices they claim harmed young users. Zuckerberg will likely be asked about how and why his company made various design decisions, and the research it conducted on user safety. But at least as important as what Zuckerberg has to say, for many, is that he will be able to see their faces. “I like to look into his eyes,” Schott says. “I want him to see my face, because my face is Anna’s face.”

Zuckerberg’s testimony will likely be referenced in future trials and legislative hearings. Likewise, thousands of social media lawsuits behind the case claim that products like Instagram have caused various personal injuries, and that companies should be forced to pay compensation and change their products to make them safer.

Arnold isn’t sure if she’ll get one of the limited lottery seats inside the courtroom. Either way, “I want to see a line of survivor parents on the front row. And that he has to bear witness in front of our faces, in front of the parents of children who died because of his lack of care and lack of accountability — that’s why it’s really important for us to be here.”