16 hours a day on Instagram isn't addiction: Adam Mosseri
What's the story
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has defended his platform against allegations of causing mental health issues in minors. He testified in a California court that even excessive social media use doesn't necessarily indicate an addiction. The landmark trial started this week and is expected to last six weeks, testing legal arguments aimed at holding tech firms accountable for their impact on young users.
Legal stance
Mosseri's testimony crucial for Meta's defense
Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, is the first high-profile executive to testify in this case. His defense comes as Meta, Instagram's parent company, argues that the lead plaintiff, known by her initials K.G.M, was affected by other life factors rather than Instagram itself. The lawsuit also names YouTube as a defendant, while Snapchat and TikTok settled ahead of the trial.
Usage debate
Hard to define excessive Instagram use, says Mosseri
During his testimony, Mosseri agreed that Instagram should do everything possible to keep users safe, especially young ones. However, he also said it's hard to define what constitutes excessive use of the platform. He emphasized that "whether use was a problem was a personal thing," explaining one person could use Instagram more than another and still feel good about it.
Addiction clarification
Distinction between clinical addiction, problematic use emphasized by Mosseri
Mosseri stressed the need to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use. He said, "I'm sure I've said that I've been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don't think it's the same thing as clinical addiction." However, he repeatedly clarified that he wasn't an expert on addiction while responding to questions from K.G.M's attorney Mark Lanier.
Survey findings
Instagram bullying survey results presented during testimony
Lanier brought up an internal Meta survey that found 60% of 269,000 Instagram users had witnessed or experienced bullying in the past week. He also noted that K.G.M had made over 300 reports about bullying on the platform, asking if Mosseri was aware of this fact. The Instagram boss admitted he wasn't aware of these details during his testimony.
Usage concern
'Problematic use' not addiction, says Mosseri on K.G.M's usage
When asked about K.G.M's longest single day of Instagram use being 16 hours, Mosseri said it sounded like "problematic use," not an addiction. He was also questioned about a 2019 email exchange between Meta executives discussing the potential negative impact of a feature allowing users to change their physical appearance in photos. Despite initial concerns, Mosseri said they decided to ban image filters beyond makeup effects but admitted that this decision had been "modified."