Mark Zuckerberg will appear on the witness stand in one of the most closely followed and historic trials to determine the future of the legal and public discourse regarding the effect of social media on young users. The case focuses on claims that Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has intentionally built its products to induce addiction in children and adolescents.

Zuckerberg, the owner and founder of Meta, is likely to be aggressively interrogated by lawyers representing a now 20-year-old woman who says that early and continued usage of social media made her addicted to the technology. The lawsuit states that she was using the platforms of Meta at a tender age and quickly became addicted, which she claims deteriorated her mental health, adding to the depression and suicidal ideation.

The case is one of the earliest cases that directly looks into the possibility of holding the big tech companies liable for claims of psychological damages associated with the design of their products. The plaintiff lawyers claim that Meta utilised functions like algorithm-driven feeds, notifications, and engagement metrics to get people to spend as much time as possible on its sites, even though increasing internal and external research indicated possible harm to adolescents.

Meta has always refuted the allegations that it intentionally creates its platforms to harm users. The company insists that it spends a lot on safety gadgets, parenting restrictions, and psychological support materials. It has also highlighted other wider societal causes of youth mental health, stating that social media is not the only cause.

The testimony of Zuckerberg should be devoted to the product development processes of Meta, internal studies on the well-being of teens, and the efforts to eliminate harm. According to legal analysts, his look highlights the seriousness of the case, which has the potential to establish a major precedent on how courts can treat claims of tech-addictedness.

The verdict of the case can potentially have a far-reaching impact not just on Meta but on the social media industry in general, with the regulators and policymakers of various countries still assessing the impact that digital platforms have on children and adolescents.