Adam Mosseri defends app on witness stand and says critics must separate ‘clinical addiction’ from ‘problematic use’
Instagram’s CEO dismissed the idea that users can be addicted to social media at a landmark California trial on Wednesday.
“I think it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” Adam Mosseri said on the witness stand. Psychologists do not classify social media addiction as an official diagnosis. Researchers have documented the harmful consequences of compulsive use among young people, and lawmakers around the world are worried about its addictive potential.
Mosseri is the first executive to testify in a series of trials in which hundreds of families and school districts have sued Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube, alleging the companies knowingly created addictive products that harm young people’s mental health.
The initial trial, in Los Angeles, focuses on a 20-year-old identified by the initials KGM who alleges the social media platform’s addictive design features, including endless scrolling, exacerbated her depression and suicidal thoughts. KGM and two other plaintiffs are part of bellwether trials – test cases designed to gauge a jury’s reaction for both sides.
