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Instagram chief tells addiction trial few teenagers knew of safety feature

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, testified that few teenagers used the "Take a Break" feature before it became a default setting.
  • The feature encourages users to limit their Instagram use after set periods.
  • The trial is examining allegations that Meta, Instagram's parent company, designed its platforms to be addictive to young users, potentially harming their mental well-being.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified in a California federal court that a key safety feature designed to limit teen usage was rarely used before it was made a default setting. The "Take a Break" feature, which prompts users to close the app after designated time intervals, was not made mandatory for teenagers until September 2024, nearly three years after its initial launch.

Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, denied claims by U.S. states suing Meta that the company deliberately delayed making the feature a default. He acknowledged under questioning from Colorado's attorney, Jason Slothouber, that the percentage of teenagers who actively used the "Take a Break" feature prior to it becoming default was in the low single digits.

"Most teens didn't want it," Mosseri stated on the fourth day of the trial in Oakland, California. He estimated in a December 2021 blog post that during early tests, over 90 percent of teenage users who enabled the feature kept it active. Despite this, he added, "We decided to push forward with it anyway."

Most teens didn't want it. We decided to push forward with it anyway.

— Adam MosseriInstagram's head described the low usage of the 'Take a Break' feature before it became a default setting.

Mosseri is a key witness in the lawsuit filed by 29 U.S. states. These states accuse Meta of designing its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to be addictive for young users, contributing to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. They also allege that Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data from children under 13. The states are seeking nearly $200 billion in civil penalties.

Meta has refuted the accusations, asserting that its research does not show a clear link between adolescent social media use and poor well-being. Mosseri also rejected suggestions that he was aware of a policy within Meta for lawyers to review internal presentations to remove problematic information or shield him from issues. He emphasized his desire for his team to bring him all relevant information, stating, "I am not trying to encourage my team to hide anything."

I am not trying to encourage my team to hide anything. I want to understand how things work. I can't think of any time that I've encouraged people to bring less information to me.

— Adam MosseriMosseri responded to questions about whether he was aware of efforts to scrub information from internal presentations.
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Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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