Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified in court about a feature introduced in 2021 named Take a Break. This feature was designed to help teens regulate their time on the platform. Mosseri admitted that its adoption was lower than expected. According to internal documents, only 1.8% of teens used it.
Attorneys from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are suing Meta, Instagram’s parent company, accusing it of designing its platforms to be addictive for children while hiding potential dangers. They claim this violates consumer protection laws.
Under questioning, Mosseri stated that although the pop-up notifications helped, they did not achieve the anticipated impact. In 2024, the feature became the default for all teen accounts. However, the states’ attorneys highlighted that this change occurred after a lawsuit was filed in 2023.
Jason Slothouber from the Colorado Attorney General’s office focused on Mosseri’s earlier statements. These suggested high retention of the feature by users without disclosing the low number of initial users. Mosseri confirmed that parents and the public were not informed about these low usage rates. He acknowledged that the figures were never disclosed by Meta.
Mosseri emphasized that Take a Break and Quiet Mode, which silences alerts, are part of a broader effort by Meta to address concerns. He opined that no single solution exists for these problems, highlighting that multiple measures are necessary.
The trial is among several cases against tech companies, following studies indicating potential harm social media poses to young people’s mental health. Meta reported that Instagram has 2 billion daily active users, and a survey indicated that about 60% of U.S. teens use Instagram, with half using it daily.
Slothouber also questioned Mosseri about potential withheld data. He referenced communications suggesting that lawyers urged limiting data visibility to Mosseri to minimize litigation exposure. Mosseri was unaware of these communications but suggested they aimed to ensure the information’s accuracy.
The trial has significant implications for Meta, with potential penalties reaching an estimated $1.4 trillion, reflecting Meta’s market value. Some legal experts compare this to the 1990s tobacco litigation, which led to substantial settlements and behavior changes in the industry.
Mosseri is expected to continue his testimony, with the trial’s duration estimated to last five more weeks.
Leave a Reply