Instagram Chief Testifies in Meta Trial Regarding Teen Safety Features

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is currently facing a trial over allegations that it aimed to engage young users despite concerns regarding mental health. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified on Tuesday during the second week of the trial, which addresses accusations that Meta designed its platforms, including Facebook, to be addictive to young people. Mosseri stated that few teenagers utilized the 'Take a Break' feature before it was set as the default option, which is scheduled to take effect in September 2024, nearly three years after its initial launch. He denied claims from the 29 US states involved in the lawsuit that Instagram delayed making this feature the default setting. Mosseri remarked, 'Most teens didn’t want it. We decided to push forward with it anyway.' The lawsuit, described by experts as a significant legal examination of social media's impact on youth, includes accusations from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, alleging that Meta designed its platforms to attract young users, contributing to anxiety, depression, and even suicide, while misleading consumers about platform safety. The states are seeking approximately $200 billion in damages, claiming Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data from children under 13. Mosseri acknowledged that the usage rate of the 'Take a Break' feature was low prior to it being made the default setting. This feature encourages teenage users to log off after a specified period. In a blog post from December 2021, Mosseri estimated that over 90 percent of teenagers who activated the feature kept it on, although this figure only referred to those who had opted in. When questioned about the low adoption rates, which he admitted were only 1 or 2 percent of accounts, Mosseri stated that the safety features were later set to be automatically enabled in Teen Accounts, which will include parental controls. Former Meta employees have indicated that features like 'Take a Break' and 'Quiet Mode' were not easily accessible and were not widely utilized, raising questions about the company's commitment to limiting screen time for young users. Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineering director, described 'Take a Break' as a feature that was 'designed to fail.' George Volichenko, a data scientist who worked on safety features at Instagram, confirmed that the adoption rates for these features were 'very low' and noted that leadership had opted against making 'Quiet Mode' the default for younger teenagers, suggesting that automatic activation of such features could negatively affect user engagement. The jurors are expected to provide an advisory verdict, while US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will determine Meta's liability and any associated civil penalties or changes to Facebook and Instagram.