Instagram CEO Testifies in Landmark Child-Safety Trial Over Teen Feature Usage
During a significant child-safety trial in Oakland, California, Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri provided testimony on Tuesday, rejecting accusations that the platform downplayed the low engagement with its teen safety feature, 'Take a Break.' The trial, brought forth by U.S. states against Meta, asserts that the company created features aimed at increasing young users' engagement, thereby exacerbating a mental health crisis among youth. Mosseri countered claims of concealing user statistics, asserting, 'I am not trying to encourage my team to hide anything.' He noted that prior to 'Take a Break' becoming the default for Teen Accounts in October 2024, its usage among teens was in the low single digits. The outcome of this case could lead to penalties reaching $1.4 trillion and major operational changes for Meta.
Key facts
- Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified in a child-safety trial in Oakland, California.
- The trial was brought by U.S. states against Meta.
- Meta is accused of designing features to keep young users engaged and contributing to a youth mental health crisis.
- Mosseri denied hiding low usage numbers for teen safety features.
- Only 1.8% of teens had signed up for the 'Take a Break' feature.
- 'Take a Break' became a default feature for Teen Accounts in October 2024.
- Mosseri's December 2021 blog post claimed over 90% of teens who enabled the feature kept it on.
- States are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties and changes to platform operations.
- Mosseri's testimony is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
Entities
Institutions
- Meta
- Reuters
Locations
- Oakland
- California
- United States