Kathmandu— Adam Mosseri, the chief executive of Instagram, testified on Tuesday as part of a landmark trial against its parent company, Meta, regarding accusations that the social media giant knowingly designed its platforms – including Facebook and Instagram – to be addictive to young users despite concerns about mental health impacts. The lawsuit, brought by 29 US states, alleges Meta improperly collected data from children under 13 and seeks approximately $200 billion in damages. Mosseri acknowledged that a “Take a Break” feature, intended to encourage reduced app usage, was used by only a small percentage of teenagers before being automatically activated for all teen accounts earlier this year.

Low Adoption Rates Revealed

During questioning, Mosseri admitted the initial adoption rate of the “Take a Break” feature was in the low single digits. The feature prompts teenage users to close the app after extended use. While he cited a December 2021 blog post estimating that over 90% of those who enabled the feature kept it on, this figure referred only to users who had actively chosen to turn it on – not overall teen usage.

Internal Concerns Over Engagement

Testimony from former Meta employees has corroborated claims that safety features were intentionally underemphasized. Arturo Bejar, a former engineering director, described the “Take a Break” feature as “designed to fail.” George Volichenko, a data scientist who worked on Instagram’s safety features, stated that adoption rates for such tools were consistently low and that company leadership rejected proposals to automatically enable Quiet Mode for young users, citing concerns about potential negative impacts on user engagement.

States Allege Deceptive Practices

The 29 states involved in the lawsuit accuse Meta of deliberately designing its platforms to exploit vulnerabilities in young people, contributing to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation. They also claim Meta misled consumers regarding the safety of its platforms and violated federal law by collecting personal data from children under the age of 13 without proper consent.

The trial is expected to continue for several weeks, with jurors ultimately delivering an advisory verdict. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will then determine Meta’s liability and any associated penalties or required changes to its platforms.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.