Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testified in a California trial addressing the platform’s impact on youth mental health, defending its design against claims of addiction and negligence.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, took the witness stand on Wednesday in a pivotal trial in Los Angeles that could significantly influence how Silicon Valley addresses the mental health of its youngest users.
During his testimony, Mosseri defended Instagram against allegations that the platform was intentionally designed to be addictive, particularly among young users, contributing to a mental health crisis among adolescents. The case was brought forth by a 20-year-old woman from California, identified as Kayle, who argued that the app’s “endless scroll” feature and instant gratification elements led to years of depression and body dysmorphia from an early age.
In response to the term “addiction,” Mosseri reframed the discussion, describing it as “problematic use” that varies from individual to individual. He also addressed internal communications from 2019 concerning face-altering “plastic surgery” filters. While some teams within the company raised concerns that these tools could harm the self-esteem of teenage girls, Mosseri and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially considered lifting a ban on such filters to promote user growth. Ultimately, the company decided to maintain the ban on filters that overtly promote cosmetic surgery.
“I was trying to balance all the different considerations,” Mosseri told the jury, according to reports from the courtroom.
Several parents who have lost children to the adverse effects of social media were present in the courtroom, sharing their grief as part of the ongoing case. Victoria Hinks, whose daughter died by suicide at the age of 16, stated that their children had become “collateral damage” in Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” culture. Outside the courthouse, she remarked, “Our children were the first guinea pigs,” a sentiment that Mosseri countered during his testimony by asserting that the “move fast and break things” motto, originally coined by Zuckerberg, is no longer applicable.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, argued that the platform operates like a “slot machine in a child’s pocket,” designed to exploit developing brains for profit. He contended that Meta was aware of the psychological toll its platform could take but prioritized user engagement over the well-being of its young audience.
This trial serves as a critical “bellwether” for over 1,500 similar lawsuits filed across the country. It also tests the boundaries of Section 230, the federal law that typically protects platforms from liability for user-generated content. If the jury finds Meta negligent in its product design, it could lead to significant financial repercussions and compel substantial changes to social media algorithms.
Meta maintains that it has implemented numerous safety features for teens, including parental controls and time limits. Zuckerberg is expected to testify later this month as the trial continues to explore the complex relationship between technology profits and the vulnerability of the teenage mind, according to American Bazaar.