Meta has agreed to pay approximately $18 billion to settle lawsuits brought by multiple US states alleging that its social media platforms, particularly Instagram, are engineered to addict teenagers and harm their mental health. The landmark financial resolution arrives amid intensified regulatory scrutiny and congressional oversight of digital youth safety.
Meta's Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified in a federal trial regarding platform addiction, stating he does not instruct employees to conceal legal risks associated with the app.
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During the second week of the Meta trial, witnesses, including Instagram's chief, testified that Meta was aware its teen safety features were largely ineffective and rarely used by young users.
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Mark Zuckerberg took the stand at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Zuckerberg's courthouse entourage showed up in Meta Ray-Bans.
The judge warned that anybody recording proceedings with smart glasses could face contempt.
Meta's smart glasses are surging. Sales tripled in 2025, the company said.
As Mark Zuckerberg was ushered into the Los Angeles Superior Court early on Wednesday morning, one accessory in his entourage stood out: Meta Ray-Ban glasses.
Zuckerberg, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, arrived without any glasses. Flanking either side of him as he walked up to the courthouse were longtime executive assistant Andrea Besmehn and an unidentified man donning Meta's Ray-Ban glasses.
Meta declined to comment about the accessory choice.
AI-powered smart glasses weren't just a hot accessory in the California sun. They were a hot topic inside the courtroom.
The judge presiding over the trial announced that anyone using glasses to record inside the courtroom would be "held in contempt of the court," according to CNBC.
This isn't the first trial where Meta's glasses have caused issues.
Last year, while Meta battled the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust allegations, New York Times reporter Mike Isaac posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been reprimanded by the court for wearing Meta Ray-Bans.
do not wear camera glasses in federal buildings folks 😞
— rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac) April 15, 2025
Andrea Besmehn (left) and an unidentified man donning Meta's Ray-Ban glasses while accompanying Zuckerberg.
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters
The glasses cameo came as Zuckerberg took the stand in a Los Angeles trial accusing major social media companies of building addictive products that harm young users. The case centers on a now-20-year-old plaintiff, identified in court filings as "KGM," who alleged that Instagram and YouTube worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts after she started using the apps as a child. TikTok and Snap have already settled, leaving Meta and Google's YouTube as the remaining defendants in the trial, which could shape similar lawsuits nationwide.
The trial underway in Los Angeles is focused on design features that plaintiffs say keep teens scrolling. Zuckerberg's testimony follows an earlier appearance from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.
Meta's Ray Ban smart glasses have become a surprise hit. On the company's earnings call last month, Zuckerberg said that sales of the glasses more than tripled in 2025, and compared the moment to the shift from flip phones to smartphones.
Meta has increasingly positioned the glasses as a vehicle for its AI ambitions. In addition to taking pictures and playing music, users can ask questions to Meta AI, Meta's AI assistant, about anything that they're looking at through the glasses.
Last week, the New York Times reported that Meta is planning to add facial recognition technology to the glasses.
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Meta has reportedly discussed a settlement with US states regarding a lawsuit concerning the harm social media platforms cause to teenagers. This comes as Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, testified that few teenagers were aware of the platform's safety features.
India's IT ministry summoned Meta's global head and Instagram chief due to non-compliance with IT rules and issues related to generated content, citing the Indian policy team's inability to convey the seriousness of the issues to the US team.
Major tech companies like Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube are being sued for allegedly designing addictive products that cause personal injury. Company executives and lawyers are presenting their arguments in ongoing trials.