An unexpected product placement briefly took the focus off Mark Zuckerberg’s highly anticipated testimony at a landmark social media addiction trial against Meta and YouTube on Wednesday.
Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl threatened to hold members of Zuckerberg’s entourage in contempt of court for wearing Meta AI glasses, which have the ability to record, CNBC reported. Recording is not allowed in the courtroom.
“If you have done that, you must delete that, or you will be held in contempt of the court,” Kuhl said. “This is very serious.”
Zuckerberg’s executive assistant, Andrea Besmehn, and another man were seen wearing Meta glasses as they walked into the Los Angeles courthouse.
At the center of the trial is the question of whether social media companies deliberately designed their platforms to hook young people, and the case’s outcome could affect thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies. The 20-year-old plaintiff, identified by the initials “KGM” or “Kaley,” alleges that she developed mental health issues from a social media addiction. TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff before the trial began.
