Instagram tracked growing usage while targeting teens, lawyers argue
Source: TechCrunch
Overview
Instagram tracked the time users spent on its app, with company executives flagging “milestones” that the app reached year after year. The app’s daily usage grew from 40 minutes per day in 2023 to 46 minutes per day in 2026, according to documentation revealed during Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in a state‑court case taking place in Los Angeles County Superior Court this month.
The focus on time‑spent metrics is a key factor in the lawsuit, which is also Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s first‑ever appearance before a jury.
Lawsuit Background
The case, K.G.M. v. Platforms et al., is underway in L.A. County’s Superior Court. A jury will determine whether social‑media companies are liable for youth mental‑health issues caused by their platforms or addictive designs. Snap and TikTok settled before the trial’s start, but Meta and YouTube declined. Executives from both companies will give testimony as part of the trial.
The 19‑year‑old plaintiff, who goes by the initial K.G.M. or “Kaley,” says that using social media at a young age was harmful to her mental health, leading to addiction, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Meta disputes that its app is responsible for Kaley’s troubles.
“The question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff’s mental‑health struggles. The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media,” said Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway in an emailed statement.
Internal Goals and Metrics
Plaintiffs’ lawyers aim to prove that Meta set internal goals to increase the time users spent on Instagram, despite knowing minors were on the platform.
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In Zuckerberg’s testimony, he was pressed on why he told Congress in 2024 that children under 13 were not allowed on Instagram, when internal documents showed the company knew of roughly 4 million children under 13 on the app in 2015—about 30 % of all 10‑12‑year‑olds in the U.S.
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Zuckerberg responded that he answered Congress honestly by stating the company’s policy and noted that Instagram removed under‑age users it found. He also clarified that the “milestones” the company tracked were not the same as specific “goals” assigned to Instagram’s team.
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Other documents referenced by the plaintiff’s legal team point to Instagram’s growing interest in the tween and teen demographic. An email from a former product manager said, “Our overall company goal is total teen time spent,” and that “Mark has decided that the top priority for the company in the first half of 2017 is teens.”
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A market landscape from December 2018 identified tweens as the “highest retention age group” in the U.S., suggesting the company was targeting that demographic.
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An email from Zuckerberg’s advisor Nick Clegg (who left the company last year) pointed out that Instagram’s age requirements were essentially “unenforceable.”
Age‑Verification Practices
Plaintiffs argue that despite knowing about under‑age users, Instagram didn’t take action to address its existing under‑age users until August 2021, when it began requiring users to enter their birthdays (TechCrunch, Aug 2021).
Meta responded that it began asking for ages at sign‑up in 2019 (Meta blog).
Recent Protections and Ongoing Focus
Although Instagram has recently rolled out a series of teen protections and parental controls, internal documentation referenced in the testimony indicates that Meta’s current hope is for Instagram to become the largest teen destination by monthly active users in the U.S. and globally this year.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or needs to talk, there are people who want to help. Call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.