During a landmark trial in California on Wednesday, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri pushed back against claims that social media use amounts to addiction. Testifying in court, he defended the platform against allegations that it harmed minors’ mental health, arguing that even heavy or prolonged use does not necessarily constitute addiction.
“I think it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” Adam Mosseri said while testifying in court.
Social media addiction is not formally recognised as a clinical diagnosis by psychologists. However, researchers have highlighted the harmful effects of compulsive use among young people, and lawmakers globally continue to raise concerns about its potentially addictive nature.
The six-week trial is part of a series of lawsuits brought by hundreds of families and school districts accusing Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube of knowingly creating addictive products that harm young people’s mental health.
Adam Mosseri, who has been at the helm of Instagram for eight years, took the stand in the trial that commenced this week in Los Angeles, marking him as the first prominent executive to testify. The trial is expected to continue for six weeks and will evaluate legal claims seeking to hold technology companies responsible for their effects on young people. YouTube is also named in the suit, while Snapchat and TikTok both reached settlements ahead of the trial. The lead plaintiff in the case is known by her initials, K.G.M.
Early in his testimony, Mosseri agreed with lead attorney Mark Lanier that Instagram should do everything possible to keep users safe, especially young people. However, he said it was impossible to define how much Instagram use is too much.
"It's important 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."
Mosseri told the court he is not an expert in addiction, as Lanier cited an internal Meta survey of 269,000 users that found 60% had experienced bullying. Lanier also said K.G.M had filed more than 300 bullying reports, which Mosseri said he did not know about.
Asked about K.G.M’s 16-hour day on Instagram, Mosseri replied, "That sounds like problematic use," but did not call it addiction. He was also questioned about a 2019 email in which Nick Clegg warned Meta could be "rightly accused of putting growth over responsibility," harming its reputation. Mosseri said appearance-altering filters were banned, later admitting the policy had been "modified," but not lifted.
Meta and other platforms face thousands of lawsuits in the US. Outside court, parents gathered, including Mariano Janin, whose 14-year-old daughter died in 2021. "If they changed their business model it would be different," he said. "They should protect kids. They have the technology; they have the funds." Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan are expected to testify.
