OAKLAND, California – The top executive at Instagram denied encouraging employees or knowing of a company policy to keep negative information away from the public, testifying at a trial on Tuesday over whether Meta Platforms designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children without proper regard for their safety.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram since 2018, is a central witness in the lawsuit by 29 U.S. states, in what experts call the biggest legal test yet of social media’s effects on young users.
Four of the states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — have accused Meta of designing the platforms to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression and even suicide, while misleading consumers about their safety.