Meta CEO Expresses Regret Over Instagram's Age Verification Delays in Court Testimony
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly expressed regret on Wednesday for his company's sluggish progress in identifying underage users on Instagram. His testimony came during a closely monitored California social media trial that accuses platforms of contributing to mental health harms among children.
Under Oath: Zuckerberg's First Direct Jury Address on Platform Safety
This appearance marked the first instance where the Meta chief directly addressed platform safety issues before a jury while under oath. Responding to pointed questions about internal concerns that Meta had inadequately verified whether users under 13 were accessing Instagram, Zuckerberg acknowledged improvements had been implemented but added with apparent remorse: "I always wish that we could have gotten there sooner."
Tense Courtroom Exchanges and Internal Document Revelations
Initially reserved in his demeanor, Zuckerberg grew more animated during intense exchanges with plaintiff attorney Mark Lanier. The lawyer aggressively pressed the CEO on Meta's age verification practices and historical focus on maximizing user engagement metrics. Lanier confronted Zuckerberg with internal company emails and documents, including:
- Employee warnings that age-verification measures remained insufficient
- Internal discussions highlighting corporate objectives tied to increasing time spent on Instagram
- A 2015 internal document revealing Instagram had approximately four million users under age 13
Zuckerberg's Defense and Shifting Responsibility Argument
During questioning by Meta's own legal team, Zuckerberg characterized time spent on the app as a "side effect" of delivering a quality user experience rather than a primary corporate goal. He further argued that age verification responsibilities should be handled at the smartphone operating system level by technology giants Apple and Google, rather than by individual application developers.
"Doing it at the level of the phone is just a lot clearer than having every single app out there have to do this separately," Zuckerberg asserted during his testimony.
Landmark Trial with Broad Implications for Social Media Industry
The ongoing trial, expected to continue through late March, will determine whether Meta and Google-owned YouTube bear legal responsibility for alleged mental health damages suffered by plaintiff Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old California resident who has utilized social media platforms since childhood. Despite platform rules prohibiting users under 13, Kaley began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine.
This case represents a potential benchmark for thousands of pending lawsuits claiming social media platforms have contributed to escalating rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm among young users. Notably, TikTok and Snapchat—also named in the original complaint—reached settlements before the trial commenced.
Zuckerberg concluded his testimony by asserting that Meta is "in the right place now" regarding age verification protocols, though his expressed regret underscored the company's acknowledged historical shortcomings in this critical area of platform safety.
