SANTA FE, N.M. — State prosecutors in New Mexico unveiled previously unseen video testimony from top Meta executives on Tuesday as they build their case alleging the social media giant concealed known dangers its platforms pose to young users, particularly on Instagram.
The state’s legal team is positioning video depositions featuring Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri as crucial evidence in their lawsuit against Meta, the parent company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. New Mexico officials claim the tech company broke state consumer protection regulations.
According to prosecutors, Meta inadequately handled and failed to warn users about social media addiction risks and child sexual exploitation occurring across their platforms.
Meta’s legal representative Kevin Huff countered these claims during February 9th opening arguments, emphasizing the company’s efforts to remove dangerous content from their sites while cautioning users that some harmful material may still slip past their security measures. He maintained that Meta does inform users about potential risks.
Both the New Mexico lawsuit and another ongoing trial in Los Angeles have the potential to influence the outcome of thousands of additional legal actions targeting social media corporations.
Zuckerberg provided testimony in Los Angeles last month regarding Instagram usage among young people and has previously faced congressional questioning about youth protection on Meta’s services.
In his 2024 appearance before Congress, he offered an apology to families devastated by incidents they attributed to social media influence. However, while he expressed that he was “sorry for everything you have all been through,” he avoided accepting direct blame for these tragedies.
During the California proceedings, Mosseri stated his disagreement with claims that individuals can develop clinical addictions to social media services.
