Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has recently appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to give evidence in what could be one of the most consequential trials in the history of social media. Thousands of people around the world are keeping a close eye on this case, as the verdict might fundamentally alter the way tech companies operate and the extent to which they are held accountable for their actions.

A young woman, known only as K.G.M., has taken Meta to court. Now 20 years old, she grew up in the era of social media and started using Instagram when she was just nine years old. She alleges that Instagram was deliberately engineered to be addictive, and that it was virtually impossible to walk away from. If she had not been exposed to Instagram at such a vulnerable age, she argues, she would never have ended up suffering from severe depression, body image issues, and suicidal thoughts.

Zuckerberg stood his ground in court and insisted that Meta has never set out to exploit its users. In his view, Meta has always endeavoured to look after young people on its platforms. He argued that if the platform generated feelings of unhappiness, users would inevitably abandon it, so it could not conceivably be in the company’s interest to cause such harm.

However, the lawyers were quick to shoot down his arguments. They brought up internal company documents which revealed that Meta had been setting precise targets for how long users should spend on Instagram every day. Many people feel that this blows Zuckerberg’s defence out of the water and exposes a significant contradiction at the heart of his testimony.

More than 1,600 families are closely following this case. If Meta loses, it could be compelled to pay enormous sums in compensation and might have to completely overhaul the way its platforms function. This case has been a long time coming, and it may well turn out to be a watershed moment for the entire social media industry.