Instagram's top executive, Adam Mosseri, is due to give testimony in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday in a case that questions whether the app's user interface contributes to a mental health problem among young people. The lawsuit, brought by a 20-year-old woman, claims that design choices made by the Meta-owned platform fostered what plaintiffs characterize as "social media addiction" in minors and young adults.
The plaintiff says she developed an addiction to Instagram in her youth and has repeatedly pointed to the app's attention-grabbing elements as drivers of her condition, according to filings in the case. Central to the complaint is the platform's so-called "endless" scroll feature, which delivers a continuous stream of posts as users move down the feed. In a deposition cited by the filings, the woman described the unceasing feed as a mechanism that kept her engaged and contributed to rising anxiety.
Legal teams for the plaintiff plan to question Mosseri about internal company materials that they say document awareness of harm to children from Instagram use. Attorneys representing the plaintiff highlighted a recent internal study they say shows that teenagers who already face challenges in their lives are the most susceptible to addictive patterns on the platform, and that parents lack meaningful controls to limit that exposure, according to court filings.
Meta has pushed back on the allegations. A company spokesperson issued a statement in advance of Mosseri's testimony saying the company strongly disagrees with the claims and is confident that the evidence will demonstrate its long-term commitment to supporting young people. In court, Meta's lawyer argued that internal discussions were undertaken to identify problems and to develop features aimed at giving users more control.
The trial is expected to draw further testimony from Meta leadership, with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg slated to appear in the coming weeks. Observers say the outcome of this case could influence how other social media platforms face the hundreds of similar lawsuits pending in the United States, though the immediate focus of this trial remains the claims and evidence as presented by the parties.
The debate over how best to manage minors' access to social media is also playing out internationally. The filings note that access restrictions for children have become a policy issue globally. The article's reporting points to actions taken by some national governments, including one country cited as having prohibited platform use for children younger than 16, and several other nations mentioned as considering similar measures.
In addition to the litigation details, the coverage includes a reference to financial analysis tools that track Meta as a publicly traded company. One such tool, described in the material, evaluates META alongside many other firms on numerous financial metrics and highlights how algorithmic strategies identify stocks based on fundamentals, momentum, and valuation.
As Mosseri prepares to answer questions and internal documents are examined in court, the case will continue to test the balance between product design, user safety, and corporate responsibility as defined by the evidence presented by both sides.