Instagram CEO denies company hid low use of teen safety feature in Meta trial

Adam Mosseri, CEO of Meta, testified in a landmark lawsuit brought by 29 US states, denying allegations that his company intentionally concealed negative information during the trial. The lawsuit, taking place in federal court in Oakland, California, accuses Meta of designing addictive products that target young users, leading to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide.

The states also claim Meta collected data from children under 13 without parental consent, which violates federal and state laws. If found liable, Meta could face damages of up to $200 billion and make significant changes to its products. Mosseri, who has been with Instagram since 2018, testified about a tool called Take a Break, which aims to encourage teens to stop using the app when they have been scrolling for a while.

However, he said that while he had acknowledged low opt-in rates for the feature, he did not publicly disclose the numbers. Mosseri also addressed the timing of a blog post he published, which announced the Take a Break tool, and explained that they wanted to share their progress publicly. The trial, which began with opening statements last week, is expected to continue for several more days, with other witnesses including a former Meta safety engineer turned whistleblower and a psychologist.