Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court in a landmark trial over claims that social media platforms harm children, marking his first time answering youth safety allegations before a jury.

The bellwether lawsuit, K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California woman identified by her initials. She alleges that Meta and other social media companies engineered their platforms to hook young users, fueling her depression and suicidal thoughts, and is seeking to hold the companies accountable.

META CEO TO TESTIFY IN HIGH-STAKES TRIAL THAT COULD COST BIG TECH BILLIONS

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta, arrives at a court in Los Angeles to testify in a landmark trial over social media addiction. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube deny the allegations, citing years of expanded safety features and parental controls as part of their defense. The tech titan is expected to point to other factors in K.G.M.’s life, highlight their investments in youth safety and argue they should not be held responsible for harmful content uploaded by users.

A verdict for the plaintiff could set a precedent for holding tech companies responsible for harmful design decisions, despite years of successfully invoking Section 230’s content liability shield — a federal law that largely shields online platforms from lawsuits related to user-posted content. A rejection of that defense could pave the way for similar lawsuits nationwide, exposing Meta and other tech companies to billions in potential damages and pressuring them to redesign their platforms.

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This is a developing story; check back later for updates.

Mitch Marner scored the overtime winner 1:22 into the 3-on-3 extra period, lifting top-seeded Canada to a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over Czechia in the men’s ice hockey quarterfinals at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, avoiding a stunning early exit and advancing to Friday’s semifinals.

Trailing 3-2 with under four minutes left in regulation, Nick Suzuki tied the game at 3-3 with 3:27 remaining on a deflection off a Devon Toews shot. Marner’s backhander in sudden-death sealed the win after Canada overcame an early deficit and the loss of captain Sidney Crosby to injury.

Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring for Canada in the first period, but Czechia responded with goals from Lukas Sedlak and David Pastrnak to take a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. Nathan MacKinnon tied it on the power play in the second at 12:16, assisted by Connor McDavid, who extended his Olympic points record to 11 with two helpers in the game.

Ondrej Palat put Czechia back ahead 3-2 in the third with a hash-mark strike off a Martin Necas pass, but Canada’s relentless pressure — outshooting Czechia 41-24 overall — forced overtime. Goaltender Jordan Binnington earned the win with key saves, including during a tense third-period push.

The victory avenged a closer-than-expected rematch after Canada’s dominant 5-0 group-stage win over Czechia on Feb. 12. Czechia, which scraped into the quarters with a qualification-round win over Denmark, pushed the tournament favorites to the brink with strong goaltending from Lukas Dostal and physical play.

Crosby left early after a hit from Radko Gudas, limping off and not returning — a concern for Canada as it prepares for the semifinals against the lowest remaining seed. McDavid’s performance continued his dominance, tying the NHL-era Olympic points record in a single Games.

Canada improves to 4-0-0-0, while Czechia ends its campaign at 1-1-1 in the knockout stage. The Canadians dominated possession but faced resilient defending from Czechia, which blocked shots and countered effectively.

The quarterfinals wrapped with Finland vs. Switzerland (12:10 p.m. ET) and U.S. vs. Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET) following Slovakia’s earlier 6-2 win over Germany. Semifinals are set for Friday, Feb. 20, with the gold-medal game Sunday, Feb. 22.

Canada’s path to a potential 10th Olympic men’s hockey gold remains on track despite the scare. Coach Jon Cooper praised the team’s resilience: “We showed character when it mattered most.” Marner, celebrating his OT heroics, called it “a battle we needed to win.”
The win keeps the star-studded Canadian roster — featuring McDavid, MacKinnon, Suzuki, Celebrini and others — alive in pursuit of gold, with the semifinals promising another high-stakes clash.

In this episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, we’re joined by Royal Bank of Canada Chief Economist Frances Donald, who explains the K-shaped economy.

We discuss how Walmart has hit a trillion-dollar market capitalization despite consumer sentiment near record lows.

Plus, we talk about what could be hiding the true health of U.S. households, from front-loading purchases ahead of potential tariffs to buy-now-pay-later programs.

🎧 Listen to the podcast here or 📹 watch the video clip below: