CEO of Meta Platforms and founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, will testify for the first time before a US court on Wednesday concerning the impact of Instagram on the mental health of young users. This trial is historical as it tackles the growing concern over teenagers' addiction to social media. The case originated from a California woman who began using Instagram and YouTube from a young age and claims that these companies exploited children's addiction for profit despite known risks to their mental health, alleging that the apps contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts.

Both Meta and Google are denying the allegations, emphasizing their efforts to provide safety tools and citing studies suggesting that social media use does not alter children's mental health. However, internal documents from Meta have shown that researchers were aware of the negative impacts of Instagram on young users. The trial potentially poses significant implications for how social media companies manage their platforms and the safeguards they implement to protect younger audiences, especially as legal scrutiny surrounding tech companies increases.

This trial is not just about a single individual's experience but represents a larger reckoning with social media's role in youth mental health. The outcome could pave the way for future regulations and accountability measures against tech giants in their handling of users, particularly vulnerable populations like teenagers. This case will likely attract considerable attention and may serve as a precedence for similar lawsuits in the future, potentially reshaping the landscape of social media usage and its regulation in society.