Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri defended his platform against claims that it harms minors’ mental health, arguing in a California court that excessive social media use does not constitute addiction.
اضافة اعلان
Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, appeared in a high-profile trial in Los Angeles, becoming the first senior executive to testify in the case.
The six-week trial is considered a key test of legal arguments holding tech companies accountable for their impact on youth and potential addictive effects, according to the BBC.
Mosseri is a senior executive at Meta, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp.
The jury will examine whether Instagram played a substantial role in the plaintiff’s mental health issues, noting that she had faced significant challenges in her life long before using social media.
At the start of his testimony, Mosseri agreed with a general point raised by the plaintiff’s lead attorney, Mark Lanier, that Instagram should do everything possible to protect users, especially young ones.
However, Mosseri stated that it is impossible to define a precise amount of Instagram use that counts as “too much.” He emphasized that whether usage is a problem is “personal,” noting that one person may use Instagram more than another and feel fine.
He added: “It’s important to distinguish between clinical addiction and problematic use. I’m sure I said I was addicted to a Netflix show when I binge-watched late one night, but I don’t consider that clinical addiction.”
Mosseri repeatedly noted that he is not an addiction expert when responding to Lanier’s questions.
When asked about the plaintiff’s longest single-day Instagram use—16 hours—Mosseri said: “That seems like problematic use, but I wouldn’t call it addiction.”
