Instagram chief testifies at Meta trial, says few teens used safety feature

Meta, parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is on trial over claims it sought to hook young users on its platforms despite mental health concerns.The top executive at Instagram has admitted that few teenagers have used a feature meant to counter addiction before it was turned on by default, as hearings in a landmark trial against its parent company, Meta, continue in the United States.Adam Mosseri testified on Tuesday as Meta’s trial – over accusations that it designed its platforms, including Facebook, to be addictive to young people – entered its second week.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What the social media addiction lawsuit could cost Metalist 2 of 3Meta lawsuits: Is social media facing a global legal reckoning?list 3 of 3Landmark trial on Meta’s impact on children’s mental health begins in USend of listMosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, denied any suggestion by US states suing Meta that Instagram had stalled by not making the “Take a Break” feature the default setting for teenagers until September 2024, nearly three years after its launch.“Most teens didn’t want it,” Mosseri said. “We decided to push forward with it anyway.”Mosseri is a central witness in the lawsuit brought by 29 US states, in what experts call the biggest legal test yet of social media’s effects on young users.Four of the states – California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey – have accused Meta of designing the platforms to hook young users, driving anxiety, depression and even suicide, while misleading consumers about the platforms’ safety.All 29 states say Meta violated US federal law by improperly collecting and employing the personal data of children under 13 while they used its platforms.The states are seeking approximately $200bn in damages from Meta.‘Designed to fail’Meta has rejected accusations that it sought to addict children, saying its research showed no clear link between adolescents’ social media use and a lack of wellbeing.