Instagram chief admits touting teen safety tool, omitting it was barely used
Meta is fending off accusations by a coalition of 29 US states that it deliberately designed its products to hook children and gather their data.
Meta CEO Adam Mosseri testified in a California court that he falsely promoted Meta's teen safety tools on Instagram, without disclosing their low usage rates. The trial, which began on Monday and is expected to continue through late September, involves accusations from 29 US states that Meta deliberately designed its products to hook children and collect their data while misleading the public.
Mosseri admitted that the adoption rates for the tools, called Take a Break and Quiet Mode, were extremely low, reaching only 1 or 2 percent. However, he claimed the features were later turned on by default for teen accounts with parental controls, launched in 2024. Mosseri could not recall if Meta had ever disclosed the percentage of teen accounts with parental controls turned on.
Internal Meta documents showed the adoption rates for Take a Break and Quiet Mode were 1.8% and 8.7%, respectively. Former Meta employees testified that the tools were ineffective and not well-promoted. If Meta is found guilty, US states will seek around US $200 billion in penalties, potentially reshaping the company's business model.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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