Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said Wednesday during testimony in a high-profile social media trial that he thinks there can be problematic usage of social media, but does not think it constitutes an addiction.
"I'm sure I said this, but I think it's important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use," said Mosseri, who noted several times that he is not a medical professional.
Mosseri said that sometimes the use of the word addiction can refer to something more casually, and noted that while he may have once said he was addicted to a Netflix show, that's not an actual clinical addiction.
"So it's a personal thing, but yeah, I do think it's possible to use Instagram more than you feel good about," Mosseri said. "Too much is relative, it's personal."
Mosseri testified in Los Angeles Superior Court, where the plaintiff alleges that social media platforms Meta , YouTube, TikTok and Snap misled the public about the safety of their apps while knowing certain design choices and features fostered detrimental mental health effects in young users.
Although TikTok and Snap were originally part of the case, the two companies are no longer involved after settling with a plaintiff involved in the lawsuit.
"The question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff's mental health struggles," a Meta spokesperson said.
The LA trial centers around a plaintiff listed as "KGM" and her mother, who allege that the tech companies designed features like infinite scroll that resulted in addictive behavior and negative mental health issues.
"The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media," the Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Mark Lanier, the plaintiff's lawyer, questioned Mosseri about social media addiction and about certain choices that company executives made that resulted in alleged negative harm.
... continue reading