Mark Zuckerberg Testifies in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

[00:00] Talia Brooks: From Neural Newscast, I'm Tilia Brooks. [00:03] Thatcher Collins: And I'm Thatcher Collins. [00:05] Talia Brooks: Today, Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a trial over social media addiction. [00:11] Talia Brooks: We explore the legal argument that Instagram and YouTube are defective products. [00:17] Thatcher Collins: We also head to the Horn of Africa, where Turkey is mediating a volatile maritime dispute [00:24] Thatcher Collins: plus a historic settlement for students and the race for the ECB. [00:30] Talia Brooks: Mark Zuckerberg is testifying today in a Los Angeles courtroom. [00:34] Talia Brooks: This landmark trial is the first of its kind to question if social media giants [00:39] Talia Brooks: are legally responsible for a mental health crisis among teenagers. [00:44] Thatcher Collins: Attorneys for the plaintiffs are using internal company documents to show that features like [00:50] Thatcher Collins: Infinite Scroll were designed specifically to be addictive. [00:54] Thatcher Collins: They are calling these platforms digital casinos engineered for young brains. [01:00] Talia Brooks: The case focuses on a young woman from California known as Kaylee. [01:04] Talia Brooks: She claims her compulsive use of YouTube and Instagram since the age of six led to severe [01:11] Talia Brooks: depression. [01:12] Thatcher Collins: MEDA and Google argue that social media is a scapegoat for complex emotional issues. [01:18] Thatcher Collins: However, the outcome of this test case will influence 1,600 other pending lawsuits. [01:25] Talia Brooks: Turning now to the Horn of Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [01:31] Talia Brooks: has rejected Israel's recognition of Somaliland. [01:35] Talia Brooks: Erdogan warned that such moves could turn the region into a battlefield for foreign forces. [01:41] Thatcher Collins: During a visit to Ethiopia, Erdogan emphasized that local nations should resolve their own problems. [01:49] Thatcher Collins: This comes as Ethiopia continues to seek its own sovereign access to the Red Sea. [01:55] Talia Brooks: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has asked Turkey for diplomatic pressure to secure a port. [02:02] Talia Brooks: He described his country of 130 million people as a geographical prisoner. [02:08] Thatcher Collins: Tensions remain high near the Tigray region as military build-ups continue. [02:14] Thatcher Collins: A return to conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea could have devastating consequences for the entire continent. [02:22] Talia Brooks: In other news, University College London has agreed to a £21 million settlement for its students. [02:30] Talia Brooks: This payout addresses the significant disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic. [02:36] Thatcher Collins: Still, the focus is also on the future of European finance. [02:41] Thatcher Collins: Spain has become the first country to enter the race to succeed Christine Lagarde at the European Central Bank. [02:48] Talia Brooks: I'm Talia Brooks. [02:49] Thatcher Collins: And I'm Thatcher Collins. [02:51] Talia Brooks: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [02:55] Talia Brooks: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.