Meta CEO and Chairman Mark Zuckerberg arrives at Los Angeles Superior Court ahead of the social media trial tasked to determine whether social media giants deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive to children, in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said to a courtroom on Wednesday that some users lie about their age when signing up for Instagram.
The comments responded to questions about documents from previous testimony before Congress, which stated that 4 million kids under 13 used the platform in the U.S.
Zuckerberg said that the company removes all underage users identified and includes terms about age usage during the sign up process.
“You expect a 9 year old to read all of the fine print,” a lawyer for the plaintiff questioned. “That’s your basis for swearing under oath that children under 13 are not allowed?”
The comments came during testimony in a landmark trial about social media and safety that’s being likened to the industry’s “Big Tobacco” moment.
Lawyers on Wednesday also questioned whether Zuckerberg previously lied about the board’s inability to fire him in a courtroom on Wednesday.
If the board wants to fire me, I could elect a new board and reinstate myself,” he said, in response to remarks he previously made on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
During his interview with the podcaster last year, Zuckerberg had said he wasn’t worried about losing his job because he holds voting power.
He also said on Wednesday that he is “very bad” at media.
Zuckerberg walked into Los Angeles Superior Court just before noon ET Wednesday, with several members of the team escorting him pictured wearing the Meta Ray-Ban artificial intelligence glasses.
The Ray-Ban logo was visible on the side, along with the small cameras in the corners. Recording is not allowed in the court room.
The trial, which began in late January, centers on a young woman who alleged that she became addicted to social media and video streaming apps like Instagram and YouTube.
Lawyers representing the plaintiff contend that Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap misled the public about the safety of their services and knew that the design of their apps and certain features caused mental health harms to young users.
Snap and TikTok settled with the plaintiff involved in the case before the trial began.
Meta CEO and Chairman Mark Zuckerberg arrives at Los Angeles Superior Court ahead of the social media trial tasked to determine whether social media giants deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive to children, in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
Meta has denied the allegations and a spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that “The question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff’s mental health struggles.”
Last week, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified that while he thinks there can be problematic usage of social media, he doesn’t believe that’s the same as clinical addiction.
“So it’s a personal thing, but yeah, I do think it’s possible to use Instagram more than you feel good about,” Mosseri said. “Too much is relative, it’s personal.”
The Los Angeles trial is one of several major court cases taking place this year that experts have described as the social media industry’s “Big Tobacco” moment, because of the alleged harm caused by their products and the related company efforts to deceive the public.
Meta is also involved in a major trial in New Mexico, in which the state’s attorney general, Raúl Torrez, alleged that the social media giant failed to ensure that children and young users are safe from online predators.
“What we are really alleging is that Meta has created a dangerous product, a product that enables not only the targeting of children, but the exploitation of children in virtual spaces and in the real world,” Torrez told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week when opening arguments for the trial began.
This summer, another social media trial is expected to begin in the Northern District of California. That trial also involves companies like Meta and YouTube and allegations that their respective apps contained flaws that fostered detrimental mental health issues in young users.
WATCH: New Mexico AG Raul Torrez talks about his case against Meta
