Instagram head Mosseri denies encouraging suppression of child social media risks
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has denied encouraging employees to conceal negative information or being aware of any company policy aimed at keeping damaging findings from the public.
Mosseri made the remarks while testifying on Tuesday in a major trial examining allegations that Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to children while failing to adequately protect their safety.
Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, is a key witness in a lawsuit brought by 29 U.S. states. The case is regarded by experts as one of the most significant legal challenges yet over the impact of social media on young users.
Four states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — allege that Meta intentionally designed its platforms to attract and retain young users, contributing to anxiety, depression and suicide, while misleading the public about the safety of its services.
The 29 states also accuse Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting and using the personal information of children under the age of 13 who used its platforms. They have indicated that they could seek almost $200 billion in civil penalties.
During the fourth day of the trial, Colorado lawyer Jason Slothouber questioned Mosseri about an alleged Meta practice in which lawyers reviewed internal presentations and removed potentially damaging information or kept certain problems from reaching senior executives.
Mosseri rejected the suggestion, saying he wanted employees to provide him with complete and reliable information.
“I am not trying to encourage my team to hide anything,” Mosseri said, adding that he wanted to understand how the products operated and could not recall ever asking employees to provide him with less information.
He also said Instagram strengthened controls over sensitive research following the 2021 disclosure of the so-called Facebook Files by whistleblower Frances Haugen. Haugen had alleged that Meta knew some of its products posed risks to children but failed to act because of its focus on profits.
According to Mosseri, Instagram subsequently limited access to sensitive research involving teenagers to employees working directly on the relevant projects.
Meta has denied allegations that it intentionally sought to make its platforms addictive to children for financial gain. The company has also maintained that its research has not established a clear connection between teenagers’ social media use and poor wellbeing.
The trial, being held in federal court in Oakland, California, is expected to continue for much of September.
Jurors are expected to deliver an advisory verdict, while U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will ultimately determine whether Meta is liable and, if so, what penalties and changes should be imposed on Facebook and Instagram.
Before Mosseri took the stand, Instagram product design director Francesco Fogu testified about a 2023 presentation his team prepared for the company’s leadership on teenage safety.
Under questioning from Slothouber, Fogu acknowledged that data had been removed from a slide showing that teenage Instagram users encountered bullying, suicide-related material, hate, nudity and violent content at a rate 1.5 times higher than adult users.
Fogu also acknowledged that Instagram knew fewer users would activate its “take a break” feature if it was not enabled by default.
Mosseri previously testified in February during a Los Angeles trial in which a jury ordered Meta and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. The jury found both companies negligent in designing their platforms.
Mosseri rejected claims that Instagram had disregarded children’s safety and defended the company’s product and policy decisions against allegations from former employees that certain features were harmful.
He said Instagram’s products and policies continue to evolve and that the company tries to concentrate on the most significant issues.
Earlier this month, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million over teenage mental health concerns after the state’s attorney general accused the company of creating a public nuisance through its platforms.
Meta is also facing a similar lawsuit from Tennessee, which is currently being heard in Nashville.
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