Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced tough questions in a New Mexico child safety trial about the company's internal research on social media addiction and teen mental health. During pre-recorded testimony, Zuckerberg downplayed findings from Meta researchers who studied how Facebook and Instagram affect users, particularly young people.

Jurors heard Zuckerberg questioned about documents showing that Instagram had around 20 percent of 11-year-olds as monthly active users. The CEO claimed he wasn't familiar with the methodology used to estimate this figure and said Meta would remove users known to be under 13. New Mexico's attorney general sued Meta in 2023 for alleged lapses in child safety, including facilitating predators' access to minors and building features researchers found addictive.

This trial follows similar testimony Zuckerberg gave in a Los Angeles social media addiction case. Throughout both depositions, he repeatedly rejected characterizations of questions and emphasized Meta's goal of making apps "useful" rather than maximizing user time. The strategy mirrors Meta's response to 2021 whistleblower Frances Haugen's disclosures about Instagram's negative effects on teen girls' self-esteem.