Meta's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, no stranger to criticism, once again defended his social media empire as he took the stand in California where his platforms are accused of being addictive.
The Harvard dropout who founded Facebook in 2004 and became a top player in the rise of social media told the court that his company did not take advantage of vulnerable people.
Days earlier, another prominent Meta executive, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, also denied the company's social media platforms were addictive.
The plaintiff in the case is a woman, now 20, who claims she suffered mental health problems because of the addictive nature of social media apps she started using as a child.
Mark Lanier, her lawyer, told jurors during opening arguments that he wanted to question Mr Zuckerberg about how Meta “attracts and retains young users” in its social apps.
Mr Lanier asked him if some of the world's most vulnerable users of technology should be cared for, ABC News reported.
“I think a reasonable company should try and help people who use its services,” Mr Zuckerberg said.
He was asked about Instagram's age-limit policy, and responded that Meta does not allow people under the age of 13, and if they're found on the platform, “they are removed".
Mr Lanier produced older emails where Meta was on record as giving priority to the amount of time users spent on its social media tools, it was reported.
He then sought to contrast it with recent testimony given by Mr Zuckerberg to members of the US Congress.
Mr Zuckerberg said that in recent years the company changed its goals.
“If you are trying to say my testimony was not accurate, I strongly disagree with that,” Mr Zuckerberg told Mr Lanier.
He said that those prohibited from using Meta's platforms often go to great lengths to find ways to use them.
YouTube, which is operated by Google, is also named in the case. Snapchat and TikTok were initially listed but settled out of court.
Mr Zuckerberg was swarmed by media as he walked into the Los Angeles court, but made no comment.
At one point, a man tried to serve Meta's chief executive with a summons to appear in another court case, but Mr Zuckerberg did not appear touch the paperwork, which fell to the ground.
If found guilty, the case could prove costly for Meta and send shockwaves through companies with social media platforms, potentially changing the endless scroll designs that keep users engaged for hours.
Meta is also the subject of a New Mexico case accusing it of not doing enough to protect children from exploitation and trafficking on its platforms.
The company is trying to stop international momentum, started by Australia, to ban children and teenagers from social media platforms.
The negative media attention might be causing Meta to rethink its litigation strategies in unrelated court cases, with court filings showing efforts to avoid jury trials.
“It appears they decided they now prefer to be judged by a bench rather than by the jury of the public,” Jason Kint, chief executive of the non-profit organisation Digital Content Next, posted on X.
Social media and technology companies have seen their carefully crafted images tainted by accusations of growing user bases at all cost.
This month, prominent actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt pleaded with US politicians to hold social-media platforms accountable by repealing a 30-year-old law known as Section 230.
That law largely protects social media and technology companies from the content posted by their users.
“These amoral companies keep allowing these awful things to happen on their platform and they won't do anything about it because they always prioritise profits over the public good, even when it comes to kids,” Gordon-Levitt said.
Meta and other technology companies do not support the measure.
Despite a recent bipartisan push, the legislation has not yet received a vote in the US Congress.
