OAKLAND, CA — Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, defended Meta Platforms Inc. in federal court against allegations that the company intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to foster compulsive use and harm the mental health of teenage users.
Testifying in Oakland, California, Mosseri denied claims that Meta suppressed internal safety risk research or delayed teen protection features to safeguard user engagement. The lawsuit, brought by 29 US states, seeks up to $200 billion in penalties and accuses Meta of misleading consumers about app safety and improperly collecting personal data from children under 13.
Key Legal Proceedings & Market Context
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Defendant: Meta Platforms Inc. (Testimony by Instagram Head Adam Mosseri)
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Plaintiffs: 29 US State Attorneys General
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Core Allegations: Deceptive product design encouraging compulsive use, child data collection violations, and misleading public disclosures regarding youth mental health risks.
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Key Evidence Debated: Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature had an initial opt-in rate of just 1.8% among teens prior to becoming a default setting in 2024; Mosseri argued feature-specific adoption rates do not capture Meta’s wider safety architecture.
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Industry Impact: Part of broader US litigation involving tech majors Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap facing thousands of youth mental health suits.
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India Policy Relevance: Follows policy discussions in India—a primary Meta market—where the Economic Survey 2025-26 recommended evaluating age-verification protocols and age-based access limits for digital platforms.
