Instagram head questioned in social media addiction trial

Reuters

The head of Instagram has arrived to testify in an ongoing trial to answer whether the social media platform he runs is intentionally addictive and harms young users.

Adam Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, appeared on Wednesday at a courtroom in Los Angeles, where a landmark trial examining the mental health effects of Instagram and YouTube started this week.

One of the top executives at Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, Mosseri will be questioned in court all day.

Lawyers for Meta have so far argued that the lead plaintiff in the case, known by her initials K.M.G., was negatively impacted by other things in her life, not her use of Instagram.

The trial, which started on Monday, is expected to last six weeks, and serve as a test of legal arguments seeking to prove harm caused to young people from social media and hold tech firms accountable.

The companies are facing thousands of other cases brought by their families, state prosecutors, and school districts across the United States.

On his way in, Mosseri was met by a crowd of people outside the courthouse, a mix of onlookers, protestors and parents not involved in the lawsuit, who nevertheless claim to have seen their children suffer from what they say was addiction to social media.

Mariano Janin, from London, is one such family member.

Holding a photo of his daughter Mia, who died by suicide in 2021 when she was 14, Janin said he travelled to Los Angeles to witness the trial and show his support for the idea that social media use should be restricted for young users.

"If they changed their business model it would be different," Janin said. "They should protect kids. They have the technology; they have the funds."

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube, are among the other high-profile figures expected to testify in the case.

Snapchat and TikTok both reached settlements ahead of the trial.