Instagram boss says 16 hours of daily use is 'problematic' not addiction
Source: BBC Technology
Kali Hays, Technology reporter
Regan Morris and Peter Bowes, Los Angeles
Trial Overview
Adam Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, testified in the landmark trial that began this week in Los Angeles. The case is expected to last six weeks and serves as a test of legal arguments aimed at holding tech firms accountable for impacts on young people.
Lawyers for Meta, which owns Instagram, argue that the lead plaintiff—identified only by her initials K.G.M.—was hurt by other factors in her life, not by Instagram. YouTube is also named in the suit, while Snapchat and TikTok reached settlements ahead of the trial.
The jury will have to consider whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff’s mental‑health struggles, given evidence that she faced significant challenges well before using social media.
Mosseri’s Testimony
Problematic Use vs. Addiction
Mosseri agreed with a broad point made by lead attorney Mark Lanier that Instagram should do everything within its power to keep users—especially young people—safe. However, he said it is difficult to define how much Instagram use is “too much.”
“Whether use was a problem is a personal thing,” Mosseri said. “One person could use Instagram more than you and feel good about it.”
He emphasized the need to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use, noting that he has “been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night,” but that this is not the same as clinical addiction. Mosseri repeatedly stated he is not an addiction expert.
When Lanier asked about K.G.M.’s longest single day of Instagram use—16 hours—Mosseri called it “problematic use” but stopped short of labeling it an addiction.
Bullying Reports
Lanier cited an internal Meta survey of 269,000 Instagram users, which found that 60 % had seen or experienced bullying in the previous week. He also noted that K.G.M. had made over 300 reports to Instagram about bullying, asking Mosseri if he was aware of this. Mosseri replied that he had not known.
Image‑Filter Controversy
Lanier raised a 2019 email exchange in which Meta executives discussed the potential negative impact of a feature that allowed users to change their physical appearance in photos. Nick Clegg, former head of global affairs at Meta, warned that the company could be “rightly accused of putting growth over responsibility,” which could have a “regressive” impact on its reputation.
Mosseri said Meta ultimately decided to ban image filters that went beyond mimicking makeup. After Lanier challenged this claim, Mosseri admitted the ban had been “modified,” but denied that it had been lifted completely.
Wider Context and Reactions
Other Companies and Cases
Meta and other social‑media platforms—including YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok—are facing thousands of lawsuits brought by families, state prosecutors, and school districts across the United States.
Public Reaction
Outside the courthouse, Mosseri was met by a crowd of onlookers, protestors, and parents not involved in the lawsuit but who claim to have seen their children suffer from what they describe as social‑media addiction.
Mariano Janin, a family member from London, held a photo of his daughter Mia, who died by suicide in 2021 at age 14. Janin traveled to Los Angeles to support the idea that social‑media use should be restricted for young users, stating:
“If they changed their business model it would be different. They should protect kids. They have the technology; they have the funds.”
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube, are among the other high‑profile figures expected to testify in the case.