Instagram head Adam Mosseri testifies in defense of Meta in child safety trial
The social media giant is being sued by four states who allege it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook kids — and lied to the public about the risks.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified in a trial where Meta is being sued by four states. The states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - allege that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children and lied about the risks.
Mosseri defended Instagram's safety record, and disputed a focus on low usage numbers for a feature meant to encourage young users to take breaks. The "take a break" feature was introduced to prompt users to step away after scrolling for a while. According to the Associated Press, very few teens used the feature initially, but it became the default setting for teenage users after Meta launched separate teen accounts in 2024.
The trial is part of a broader effort to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children. The states claim that Meta knowingly and deliberately designed features that contribute to the youth mental health crisis.
Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, Associated Press — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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