Mark Zuckerberg has been ordered to face a Los Angeles jury again. On September 29, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl of the Los Angeles County Superior Court denied Meta’s motion to quash trial subpoenas for Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri in the next social media addiction trial, set to begin October 28. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is also expected to testify.
Zuckerberg and Mosseri both testified in February in the first trial in the California proceeding, which ended in March with a verdict against Meta and YouTube. This time the jury will hear two cases at once, and only two companies are left to defend them.
Two Teens, One Jury
The plaintiffs are identified in court filings by their initials. S.J. is a 15-year-old from Illinois who alleges that social media use led to addiction, anxiety, depression, self-harm and an eating disorder. K.D.B. is an 18-year-old from Mississippi who alleges that overuse of the platforms caused anxiety, depression, addiction, self-harm and an eating disorder.
Both cases are bellwethers in the coordinated California proceeding known as Social Media Cases, JCCP No. 5255, which holds more than 3,000 individual claims. In late August, Judge Kuhl agreed to try the two cases together before a single jury. Meta opposed the combined trial.
Like the thousands of cases behind them, these claims focus on how the platforms were designed rather than on what other users posted. The plaintiffs allege that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic feeds and constant notifications were built to keep young users on the apps as long as possible, and that the companies knew the risks to minors and did not warn them. The companies deny the allegations and say they take extensive steps to protect teens.
Who Is Left at the Defense Table
The original lawsuits named Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok. TikTok settled on August 3 with three plaintiffs who had been selected for October trials, S.J. and K.D.B. among them. The third, P.M.Y., later dismissed her remaining claims. YouTube settled with S.J. and K.D.B. on September 25. Terms of both settlements are confidential.
That leaves Meta, the parent of Instagram and Facebook, and Snap, the maker of Snapchat. Snap settled before both earlier California bellwethers were set to go to trial, so if this trial reaches a verdict, it would be the first time a jury in the California proceeding decides claims against Snapchat.
What the First Jury Decided
The first trial, brought by a young woman identified as K.G.M., ended on March 25 with a $6 million verdict. The jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages, assigning 70 percent of the fault to Meta and 30 percent to YouTube, and added $3 million in punitive damages. In all, Meta was found responsible for $4.2 million and YouTube for $1.8 million.
On June 9, Judge Kuhl denied the defendants’ motions to set aside the verdict or order a new trial. Meta and Google have said they will appeal, arguing that the verdict conflicts with Section 230 and the First Amendment.
The Trial That Never Started
The second bellwether, brought by a Florida teenager identified as R.K.C., was set for July 27. YouTube, TikTok and Snap each settled in the weeks before trial. On July 22, R.K.C. dropped his claims against Meta rather than try the case against Meta alone. Meta said the plaintiff received no payment from it and that the outcome showed it would not back away from defending itself.
The pattern has held all year. TikTok has settled ahead of every California trial date. YouTube and Snap settled with R.K.C. before his July trial, and YouTube settled the October cases. Meta has gone to a jury once in the California proceeding, and it lost.
Why These Trials Matter
A bellwether is a test case. Its verdict does not decide anyone else’s claim, but it shows how a jury responds to the evidence, and the parties use those results to value the thousands of cases still waiting. Judge Kuhl has already set further California bellwethers for March 16, 2027 and August 6, 2027.
A parallel federal proceeding, In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047, is pending before Chief Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California. It had 3,824 pending cases as of October 1, according to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, up 616 from the month before. The first federal school district trial, brought by Tucson Unified School District, is set to begin with jury selection on February 3, 2027.
None of these cases is affected by Meta’s August settlement with state attorneys general. That agreement resolved the states’ own claims for up to $17.1 billion, and as LegalScoops reported, Meta’s $17 billion settlement has no claim form for families. Individual injury claims go forward on their own track.
People often search for a “social media addiction class action,” but these cases are not a class action. They are a mass tort: each injured person files an individual claim, and the claims are coordinated before one judge for pretrial proceedings and test trials. Many of the people bringing them are now in their late teens or twenties, since the harm alleged usually began in childhood.
Doyle APC handles social media addiction lawsuits together with experienced co-counsel.
For a full overview of the litigation, including each company’s trial and settlement record, see the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Update.
Common Questions
When does the next social media addiction trial start?
The trial of two consolidated cases, brought by plaintiffs identified as S.J. and K.D.B., is scheduled to begin October 28, 2026, in Los Angeles County Superior Court before Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl. Meta and Snap are the remaining defendants.
Will Mark Zuckerberg testify?
He is expected to. On September 29, Judge Kuhl denied Meta’s motion to quash the trial subpoenas for Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is also expected to testify.
What happened in the first social media addiction trial?
In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable to a young woman identified as K.G.M. and awarded $6 million, including $3 million in punitive damages. The judge denied motions for a new trial in June, and the companies have said they will appeal.
Is the social media addiction lawsuit a class action?
No. It is a mass tort. Each person files an individual claim, and the claims are coordinated in California state court (JCCP No. 5255) and in federal court (MDL No. 3047) for pretrial proceedings and bellwether trials.
Does Meta’s settlement with the states cover individual claims?
No. The August 2026 settlement resolved claims brought by state attorneys general, and the money goes to the states. Individual personal injury claims are not affected.
How many social media addiction lawsuits are pending?
The federal MDL had 3,824 pending cases as of October 1, 2026, and more than 3,000 individual claims are coordinated in the California state court proceeding.
See If You Qualify for Social Media Addiction Compensation
Doyle APC handles social media addiction claims nationwide together with experienced co-counsel, for young people and families harmed by Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat or YouTube. Many people with claims are now adults who can file on their own. There are no fees or costs unless there is a recovery.
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