Instagram’s top executive, Adam Mosseri, faces a major legal test this Wednesday. He will testify in a Los Angeles court for the first time regarding claims that Instagram intentionally harms the mental health of children and young adults. This trial centers on the growing problem of “social media addiction” and whether Meta, the company that owns Instagram, designed the app to keep kids hooked regardless of the risks.
The legal battle began when a 20-year-old woman sued the company. She says she became addicted to the app when she was a young girl. In her court filings, she explains that features like “endless scrolling”—where new posts never stop loading—made it almost impossible for her to put her phone down. She claims this design fueled her personal anxiety and damaged her mental health. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has weighed in, warning that these types of features make it much harder for children to walk away from their screens.
During the trial, lawyers will likely grill Mosseri about internal company documents. The plaintiff’s legal team argues these records prove Meta knew the platform was harmful to kids but chose to keep the features anyway. They pointed to a study showing that teenagers who already struggle with life’s challenges are the most likely to get addicted to the app. They also argue that parents currently have no real way to control how their children use the platform.
Meta is fighting back against these claims. A spokesperson said the company strongly disagrees with the allegations and feels confident that the evidence will show they care about young people. Meta’s lawyers argue that their internal research was actually meant to help them find problems and create better safety tools for users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also expected to testify in the coming weeks.
This case is a big deal because the result will impact hundreds of other lawsuits across the United States. Governments around the world are also watching. Australia recently banned social media for kids under 16, and countries like France and Britain are thinking about doing the same.
