Meta Under Fire as Instagram Chief Admits Low Teen Uptake of Safety Feature

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has admitted that only a small percentage of teenagers used the platform’s “Take a Break” safety feature before it was eventually activated by default, as Meta continues to face a major legal battle in the United States over allegations that its social media platforms were designed to keep young users engaged despite concerns about their mental health.

Mosseri, who has headed Instagram since 2018, gave evidence as the landmark trial against Meta entered its second week.

The case involves 29 US states, which accuse Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, of deliberately designing its platforms in ways that encourage young users to spend more time online.

Four of the states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey have specifically accused Meta of creating platforms that could contribute to addiction among young people, while allegedly increasing risks linked to anxiety, depression and suicide.

They also claim the company failed to adequately inform users and the public about potential safety concerns.

The 29 states further allege that Meta violated US federal law by improperly collecting and using the personal information of children under the age of 13 while they were using its platforms.

The states are seeking approximately $200 billion in damages.

During questioning by Jason Slothouber, a lawyer representing Colorado, Mosseri acknowledged that the proportion of teenagers using the “Take a Break” feature was in the low single digits before Instagram made it a default setting.

The feature was introduced to encourage teenagers to leave the app after spending a certain amount of time on it. Mosseri had previously said in a December 2021 blog post that more than 90 percent of teenagers who activated the feature kept it switched on.

However, that figure referred only to teenagers who had voluntarily enabled the feature and did not represent all young Instagram users.

Mosseri acknowledged that the company had not disclosed publicly that adoption of the feature had remained as low as one or two percent of accounts.

He said Meta later introduced stronger safety measures through its Teen Accounts, launched in 2024, which include parental controls and automatically activated protections.

Former Meta employees have also testified that safety tools such as “Take a Break” and “Quiet Mode” were difficult for young users to find and were not widely used.

Some former employees questioned whether the features represented a genuine effort to reduce teenagers’ screen time.

Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineering director, previously told the court that, based on his experience, the “Take a Break” feature was effectively designed to fail.

Another former Instagram data scientist, George Volichenko, testified that the adoption of similar safety features was extremely low and that company executives had rejected proposals to activate “Quiet Mode” automatically for younger teenagers.

According to the testimony, automatically introducing some of these measures could have had a significant negative impact on user engagement, raising questions about whether commercial considerations influenced Meta’s approach to child safety.

Meta has strongly rejected allegations that it intentionally sought to make children addicted to its platforms.

The company maintains that its research has not established a clear causal link between adolescents’ use of social media and poor mental wellbeing.

The trial is expected to continue for about six weeks. Jurors are expected to deliver an advisory verdict, while US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will make the final determination on whether Meta is legally responsible.

If the company is found liable, the judge could impose civil penalties and order changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate, particularly in relation to young users and their safety.

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