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Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified Wednesday that he does not believe people can be clinically addicted to the platform, offering a key defense as Meta faces one of the first social media addiction lawsuits to reach trial.
Mosseri is the first senior executive to take the stand in the closely watched case, brought by a 20-year-old woman who alleges Instagram and YouTube were designed with features that encouraged compulsive use and worsened her mental health. The lawsuit is viewed as a bellwether for more than a thousand similar claims pending across the United States.
Questioned by plaintiff attorney Mark Lanier, Mosseri acknowledged that "problematic use" of Instagram can occur but argued that such behavior varies by individual. He compared excessive scrolling to watching television longer than intended, saying the experience is "relative" rather than evidence of addiction in a clinical sense.
Lanier pressed Mosseri on whether engagement-driven tools including infinite scroll, autoplay and the like button were prioritized over user well-being, particularly for minors. The plaintiff, identified in court as Kaley, began using Instagram before the app's minimum age requirement, according to her legal team.
The trial has drawn intense public interest. Outside the courthouse, families who say they lost children to harms linked to social media gathered overnight seeking seats in the courtroom. Some carried photos of loved ones, describing the proceedings as a fight for accountability.
Lanier also highlighted internal company communications discussing concerns about how social media affects young users. Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, defended Meta's safety efforts, pointing to features such as teen accounts and expanded parental controls.
Meta has denied the allegations and said it "strongly disagrees" with claims that its products intentionally harm users. The case is expected to test how courts evaluate responsibility for design choices made by major technology companies. Legal experts say the verdict could reshape how platforms design features and disclose risks to younger users globally.
