Khaberni - Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri denied the validity of the concept of "clinical addiction" for social media users, in a testimony he gave before a California court looking into whether his company deliberately created addiction among children on its platform for profit.
"Meta", the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, and "Google", the owner of YouTube, are defending their applications in a trial that may set a legal precedent regarding whether social media giants deliberately designed their apps to cause addiction in children.
In response to a question from prosecutor Mark Lanier, Mosseri said, "I think it is very important to distinguish between clinical addiction and usage that is problematic."
He continued, "I am sure that I said I accidentally binged on Netflix when I watched it voraciously until very late, but I do not believe that rises to the level of clinical addiction."
The subject of addiction is at the heart of the civil trial centered around allegations that a 20-year-old woman, known as Kelly G. M., suffered severe psychological damage after becoming addicted to social media as a young child.
The young woman started using YouTube at the age of six, then created an Instagram account at the age of eleven before joining Snapchat and TikTok two or three years later.
She says she entered into a severe social media addiction, which plunged her into a spiral of depression, anxiety, and body image issues.
Mosseri is the first prominent Silicon Valley figure to appear before a jury to face accusations that Instagram causes addiction in young people prone to it.
In front of a jury comprised of six men and women, Mosseri also denied the validity of a concept that describes Meta as prioritizing profit over safety.
He said, "Protecting minors in the long run is also beneficial for business and profitability."
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be among those called to testify in the courtroom on February 18.
