US trial over social media companies allegedly addicting children set to start Monday

Opening arguments are set to begin Monday in a US trial accusing social media companies of designing products to addict children, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and YouTube chief Neal Mohan among US social media executives expected to testify, local media reported.

The trial, delayed from late January due to a defense lawyer's illness, features a jury of six women and six men, with proceedings potentially running through March, reported Bloomberg.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, the photo and video sharing platform owned by US social media company Meta, is expected to take the stand during the first week before Zuckerberg, who will testify in Los Angeles as early as next week, Bloomberg said.

The personal injury suit, brought by the Social Media Victims Law Center in Seattle, centers on a 20-year-old California woman who claimed that over a decade of social media addiction caused her anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia, the outlet reported.

Meta lawyers plan to reject correlations between social media and teen mental health issues while highlighting positive impacts, according to members of the company's legal team cited by Bloomberg.

Meta said in a January blog post that blaming social media companies alone for teen mental health struggles "oversimplifies a serious issue," calling lawsuit claims inaccurate.

This case came at a time as various countries around the world are imposing restrictions and bans on social media use by minors, with many research studies showing a link between social media use and mental health issues among minors.