Instagram head Adam Mosseri denied that social media is “clinically addictive.” A 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley filed a lawsuit against Instagram and YouTube’s parent company, Meta. Kaley alleged that social media platforms develop addictive features on purpose to hook young consumers to these platforms. She claimed that platforms like Instagram harmed her mental health. Meta has previously stated, “We strongly disagree with the allegations in Kaley’s lawsuit.”
Adam Mosseri denies Instagram is ‘clinically addictive’
Instagram head Adam Mosseri believes social media is not “clinically addictive.” Notably, Mosseri became the first executive to testify in this landmark case and denied that users can get clinically addicted to social media platforms. However, this isn’t the only lawsuit. There are 15,000 similar cases set to go to trial, putting the spotlight on social media addiction and whether companies should take responsibility or not. (via CNN).
Mosseri, confessing that he has never testified in a case like this before, revealed that he didn’t think it was possible to get addicted to Instagram. However, he admitted that “problematic use” of the platform is definitely something to consider.
To put his point in perspective, Mosseri likened Instagram addiction to “watching TV for longer than you feel good about.” He said, “It’s relative. Yes, for an individual, there’s such a thing as using Instagram more than you feel good about.”
Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiff, questioned Mosseri on Wednesday about whether Instagram prioritizes profits over the mental health of its users.
Mosseri remarked, “I think it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use. I’m sure I said that I’ve been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don’t think it’s the same thing as clinical addiction.” (via Money Control).
Lanier picked up on that and emphasized that Mosseri does not have a degree in medicine or psychology. The Instagram head responded, “I’ve never claimed to be able to diagnose addiction clinically. I’m sure I was using the word too casually.”
Originally reported by Anwaya Mane on Mandatory.
