(MENAFN) Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has been instructed to testify in a pivotal trial in the United States concerning the effects of social media on young people.

This decision follows a ruling by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who dismissed the argument made by Zuckerberg’s company, Meta Platforms, that an in-person testimony was not required.

The same order also applies to Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snap, and Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, which is owned by Meta.

The trial, set to take place in January, is one of the first to proceed from a series of lawsuits alleging that social media platforms have made their applications addictive and appealing to minors, even though they were aware of the potential mental health and other risks involved.

Meta has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ruling.

In response, the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, representing Snap, emphasized that the decision did not affect the validity of the accusations against the company.

The firm expressed its intention to present a defense, stating that they were eager to demonstrate why they believe the "allegations against Snapchat are wrong factually and as a matter of law."

The case involves hundreds of lawsuits filed by parents and school districts, which were consolidated into a single legal proceeding before the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2022.

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