Judge threatens Mark Zuckerberg's team after they arrive to high-stakes trial in recording glasses: 'I will hold you in contempt'

Eyeglasses capable of recording video and audio have been the subject of great controversy in recent years.

That controversy has now extended into the courthouse, where a judge excoriated Mark Zuckerberg and members of his team for wearing the devices during a high-stakes trial over social-media addiction, CBS News reported. 

"The judge upbraided the Meta team and said if you guys have recorded anything, you have to dispose of it or I will hold you in contempt," said Jacob Ward, a journalist and podcast host, per CBS News.

The Los Angeles Superior Court, where the trial is being held, generally bans all recording devices. 

The situation arose when Zuckerberg attended court to testify in the trial. During his testimony, Zuckerberg faced questions about whether Meta's Instagram platform is addictive, particularly for young people. 

The testimony came as part of a trial aimed at testing the strength of claims brought against social media platforms Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. The plaintiffs have alleged that their companies intentionally made the platforms addictive for users in order to increase engagement and bolster profits. 

The outcome of the trial will heavily influence the fate of a group of cases involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including 350 families and 250 school districts, according to NBC News. 

Parents "deserve the truth about what company executives knew," said Matt Bergman, a lawyer representing hundreds of plaintiffs in social media addiction cases, as quoted by NBC News. "And they deserve accountability from the people who chose growth and engagement over the safety of their children." 

As for Zuckerberg and his team's apparent use of artificial-intelligence-powered recording glasses in the courtroom. Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who's presiding over the case, called the matter "very serious," citing the risk of facial recognition technology being used to identify jurors, per CBS News. 

"Judicial officers have the discretion to place limitations on video recording and photography in their courtroom," said a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to CBS News. 

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