Instagram head Adam Mosseri testifies in defense of Meta in child safety trial

Key Points:

• Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified that the 2021 "Take a Break" feature aimed at helping teens regulate app usage had very low adoption, with only 1.8% of teens using it initially, and he wished it had been improved sooner.
• Meta faces a lawsuit from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey accusing the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to addict children and hide the dangers, while Meta denies these claims and argues it has taken multiple steps to protect teens.
• The states allege Meta withheld critical information about the ineffectiveness of safety features like "Take a Break," violating consumer protection laws, and Mosseri confirmed that Meta never disclosed the low usage statistics to parents or users.
• Internal communications revealed Meta lawyers advised limiting data shown to Mosseri in presentations to reduce legal exposure, suggesting legal concerns sometimes outweighed transparency within the company.
• The trial, with potential penalties up to $1.4 trillion, is part of a broader wave of litigation against tech companies over social media’s impact on youth mental health, with comparisons drawn to historic tobacco industry lawsuits.