Amid ongoing lawsuits over responsibility for youth social networking service (SNS) addiction, Instagram Chief Executive Officer Adam Mosseri argued that SNS use cannot be equated with addiction in the clinical sense.
According to The Associated Press, Mosseri appeared as a witness at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California on the 11th and said, "It is important to distinguish between clinical addiction and problematic use."
He explained, "You can say you were 'addicted' after binge-watching a Netflix series late into the night, but that is different from addiction to drugs, alcohol, or gambling that requires medical treatment."
He also rejected the claim that SNS corporations intentionally induce addiction. Mosseri said, "It is true that some users feel good when they use Instagram for a long time," but added, "I do not see that as a structure that benefits the company, nor is it what we intend."
Addressing criticism that beauty filters that alter users' appearance encourage cosmetic surgery, he noted, "There is always tension between safety and freedom of expression," and said, "We are working to create an environment that is as safe as possible while minimizing censorship."
The lawsuit was filed by a 20-year-old woman, Kaylee G.M., who said she suffered anxiety, depression, and physical problems due to excessive SNS use in childhood, seeking to hold IT corporations responsible. The plaintiff claimed she started using YouTube at age 6, joined Instagram at 11, and has since used Snapchat and TikTok.
The trial is seen as a "bellwether case" that could affect thousands of similar lawsuits in the future. The plaintiff's counsel is an attorney who previously led the Johnson & Johnson baby powder litigation.
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear in court on the 18th, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan also plans to testify later.