Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testified on August 25 in an Oakland, California courtroom as Meta faces trial over allegations that it designed its platforms to addict young users while concealing dangers. Four states—California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey—are suing Meta, claiming the company deliberately engineered Instagram and Facebook to exploit children’s data and hid knowledge of harmful effects.
During cross-examination, Mosseri discussed Take a Break, a feature introduced in 2021 intended to prompt teens to pause their app usage after extended periods. An internal document presented as evidence revealed that only 1.8% of teens initially used the feature. Mosseri acknowledged that the feature “helped, but not nearly as much as we hoped.” The company did not make the feature the default for teen accounts until late 2024, well after the states filed suit in 2023. When questioned by Colorado Attorney General representatives, Mosseri confirmed that Meta never publicly disclosed the low adoption rate, despite a blog post he authored at the time claiming more than 90% of feature users kept it enabled.
Prosecutors argued that Meta’s withholding of effectiveness data from users and parents constituted a violation of consumer protection laws. They also presented communications showing that Meta’s legal team advised product designers to limit information provided to Mosseri about problematic content teens encounter on Instagram, framing it as a way to check his “litigation exposure.” Mosseri stated he was unaware of these communications but suggested it made sense for document creators to verify accuracy.
Mosseri defended Meta’s approach by emphasizing that the company has implemented numerous safeguards, not just Take a Break. He argued that addressing teen-related issues requires multiple initiatives working together. The trial reflects a broader wave of litigation against technology companies following studies and public health warnings about social media’s potential effects on young people’s mental health. Instagram currently has 2 billion daily active users, with roughly 60% of U.S. teens using the platform according to recent surveys.
The case carries substantial stakes for Meta, with potential penalties estimated as high as 1.4 trillion dollars. Legal experts have drawn comparisons to major tobacco industry litigation from the 1990s that resulted in significant settlements and behavioral changes.
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