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Instagram head Adam Mosseri testifies in Meta social media harms trial

The executive defended Meta's safety record as state prosecutors pressed him on low adoption rates for teen well-being features and internal disclosures.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 10:33 UTC6 reports

The short version

  • Instagram chief Adam Mosseri took the stand in a landmark federal trial in Oakland, California, defending Meta against claims that it designed addictive platforms that harm youth mental health and violate privacy laws.
  • Mosseri acknowledged that the voluntary activation rate for Instagram's 'Take a Break' safety feature was in the low single digits before Meta made it a default setting for teenagers in 2024.
  • State attorneys general argue Meta misled the public by touting high retention rates for the feature without disclosing that very few teens initially turned it on.
  • Mosseri denied instructing employees to hide safety data or legal liabilities from him, and his testimony is set to continue on Wednesday.

Key facts

  • Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified on Tuesday in a federal trial in Oakland, California, where Meta faces lawsuits over platform design and youth mental health harms.[CNBC · Business Insider · NPR · Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
  • A coalition of state attorneys general claims Meta exploited young users for profit, violated consumer protection and child privacy laws, and hid platform risks.[CNBC · Business Insider · NPR]
  • Mosseri acknowledged under questioning that the initial activation rate for Instagram's 'Take a Break' feature was approximately 1.8 percent prior to making it a default setting in 2024.[Business Insider · NPR · Al Jazeera]
  • A December 2021 Instagram blog post stated that over 90 percent of teens who turned on 'Take a Break' kept it on, but omitted the feature's low initial activation figure.[Business Insider · NPR · Al Jazeera]
  • Mosseri stated it was news to him that Meta lawyers told employees to limit certain teen safety data in a 2023 presentation to manage his litigation exposure.[Engadget · NPR]
  • Former Meta data scientist George Volichenko testified that company leadership declined to make well-being features opt-out by default due to potential negative impacts on user engagement metrics.[Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
  • Meta denies the claims, arguing its research showed no clear link between teen social media usage and diminished well-being.[CNBC · Al Jazeera]

What remains uncertain

  • The final financial penalties and civil liability faced by Meta remain uncertain, with states seeking penalties estimated between $200 billion and $1.4 trillion.[CNBC · Engadget · NPR · Al Jazeera]
  • It is unverified whether internal Meta legal reviews of presentations were intended to shield leadership from liability or to verify data accuracy.[CNBC · Engadget · NPR]

Sources