Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has denied allegations that Meta deliberately concealed information about the effectiveness of its teen safety tools, as he testified in a major US trial examining whether the company’s platforms were designed in ways that could harm young users. The testimony is part of a lawsuit brought by 29 US states, which accuse Meta of designing Instagram and Facebook to encourage excessive use among children and teenagers while downplaying potential risks. Meta has denied the allegations and defended its efforts to improve safety on its platforms. A major focus of Mosseri’s testimony was Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature. Introduced in 2021, the tool was designed to remind users to step away from Instagram after spending a certain amount of time on the platform. However, prosecutors questioned why the feature was not made a default setting for teenage accounts until September 2024.

Mosseri acknowledged that only a small percentage of teenagers were using the feature before it became a default. Internal figures presented during the trial indicated adoption was in the low single digits, with one report putting usage at around 1.8%. Prosecutors also questioned Mosseri over the way Meta communicated information about the feature. They pointed to an earlier company blog post highlighting that more than 90% of teenagers who activated the tool continued to use it, while the much smaller overall adoption figure was not disclosed publicly at the time. Mosseri maintained that the company had not intentionally hidden safety information. The trial has also brought scrutiny of other internal safety data.

Instagram product design director Francesco Fogu reportedly acknowledged that a presentation once contained data indicating teenage users encountered certain harmful content at higher rates than adults, although questions were raised about how the information was presented and later handled. Meta has argued that focusing heavily on one safety feature does not reflect the broader range of measures it has introduced for young users. Mosseri similarly defended the company's overall approach, saying that “Take a Break” and other tools represented only part of its wider efforts to address problematic use. The case could have major implications for the technology industry. The states are seeking substantial penalties and changes to how Meta operates its platforms for younger users. The trial is expected to continue for several weeks, with further testimony likely to shed light on the company's internal approach to teen safety and product design.