Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark New Mexico court case alleging Meta failed to protect children from online predators. During testimony, Zuckerberg revealed he reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook in February 2018 to discuss the "wellbeing of teens and kids" using their platforms. The trial accuses Meta of creating a dangerous product that enables child exploitation.

Originally filed in 2023, the lawsuit claims Meta "steered and connected users — including children — to sexually explicit, exploitative and child sex abuse materials." Legal experts compare these cases to Big Tobacco lawsuits from the 1990s due to alleged harm and efforts to mislead the public. The trial is one of several significant cases against Meta this year that could reshape the social media industry.

Zuckerberg's 2018 email exchange with Cook predates their more public disagreements, which began in March 2018 when Cook criticized Facebook's privacy practices. This marks the second time Cook's name has surfaced in the case, as earlier emails showed Zuckerberg suggesting Meta should follow Apple's model of conducting less research into platform harms. The revelation adds another layer to the ongoing debate about corporate responsibility for user safety.