Instagram Chief Testifies in Social Media Addiction Trial

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, arrived at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building & United States Courthouse in Oakland, California, for a trial involving Meta’s platforms. The court session on August 25, 2026, centered around accusations against Meta regarding social media addiction.

Mosseri explained that a feature known as ‘Take a Break,’ which was introduced in 2021 to help teens manage their screen time, didn’t achieve the desired adoption rate. He acknowledged wishing for earlier improvements. The lawsuit, initiated by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, alleges that Meta designed Instagram and Facebook to captivate young users and collect their data, while failing to disclose the associated risks.

In defense, Meta’s attorneys emphasized their awareness and management of youth overuse challenges. Mosseri described the ‘Take a Break’ feature, a pop-up reminder prompting teens to pause app usage after a set duration. Court evidence revealed the feature’s usage was limited to just 1.8% of teens.

In 2024, Meta made the feature default on teen accounts, negating concerns about low initial usage. However, spokesperson Jason Slothouber from the Colorado Attorney General’s office noted this update followed the state’s litigation against Meta in 2023. The states argue that by not revealing the feature’s inefficacy, Meta breached consumer protection laws.

Around this time, Mosseri’s blog post claimed that over 90% of users maintained the feature, without specifying the low engagement. In court, he confirmed the lack of information available to parents regarding the feature’s adoption. He acknowledged Meta has not publicly disclosed the user data.

Mosseri remarked, “In general, there are no silver bullets to problems like this. We have to do many things that add up.”

The case arises amid increased scrutiny of tech companies following studies indicating social media’s potential harm to youth mental health. Mosseri’s tenure at Meta, starting as a product designer in 2008, led to his role as Instagram head in 2018. Instagram enjoys significant popularity among young people, with Pew Research estimating that six in ten U.S. teens use the app.

The trial also examined internal communications at Instagram, revealing advice from Meta’s lawyers to limit Mosseri’s exposure to certain data in presentations. Mosseri claimed unawareness of these exchanges but affirmed the importance of accurate information. The prosecution aimed to show legal risk concerns overshadowed data transparency.

Meta, one of the world’s most lucrative social media entities, faces an estimated $1.4 trillion in penalties. Comparisons have been drawn to tobacco litigation in the 1990s, which fundamentally altered industry practices and public perception.

Mosseri’s testimony is scheduled to continue, with the trial expected to persist for about five weeks.