In a court case concerning the mental health effects of social media, Mark Zuckerberg's defense includes that he tried to discuss the issue with Tim Cook, who, obviously, doesn't run a social media platform.

The trial concerns in part the issue of age verification, which Meta has previously tried to dodge by saying Apple and Google should deal with it rather than any application. The case is a specific one brought to a Los Angeles court by a 19-year-old who claims social media led her to self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

It's being seen, though, as a test case with much wider implications. The unnamed teenager and her mother originally sued Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok, although the latter two have settled out of court.

According to CNBC, Zuckerberg's latest comments come as Meta's defense team presented evidence that the CEO is proactive about protecting young Instagram users. Zuckerberg said that he had emailed Tim Cook in February 2018 to discuss the "wellbeing of teens and kids."

"I thought there were opportunities that our company and Apple could be doing and I wanted to talk to Tim about that," he continued.

It doesn't appear, so far, that there has been any mention of whether the discussion then happened. Although in March 2018, Cook publicly disagreed with Meta's approach to privacy.

While this was later denied, at the time Zuckerberg was said to be so "infuriated" at Cook that he ordered staff to switch from iPhone to Android.

The email to Apple is instead offered as one example of how Zuckerberg cares about young users. It follows previous attempts by Meta to blame Apple for its related problems.

Age limits

Another example of caring raised in the latest court session is that Instagram requires users to be aged 13 or over. Zuckerberg said that the service makes this clear at sign up, though he admitted that younger children were accessing Instagram.

"You expect a 9-year-old to read all of the fine print," asked one of the plaintiff's lawyer. "That's your basis for swearing under oath that children under 13 are not allowed?"

Zuckerberg was also specifically questioned about studies that say social media affects mental health. He responded that Meta had consulted unnamed stakeholders about Instagram's beauty filters, and had discussed the issue with his team.

The plaintiff's lawyer, though, presented messages that showed Zuckerberg had lifted a ban on beauty filters because that was "paternalistic."

"It sounds like something I would say and something I feel," said Zuckerberg. "It feels a little overbearing."

"I genuinely want to err on the side of giving people the ability to express themselves," he continued.

The trial is expected to last into March 2026. During this most recent session, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl also said she would hold in contempt of court anyone using Meta glasses to record the proceedings.