Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 26
Instagram Chief Admits 1%-2% Teen Use of Safety Tool in $200 Billion Meta Trial
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 26

Instagram Chief Admits 1%-2% Teen Use of Safety Tool in $200 Billion Meta Trial

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 26

Summary

  • Low single-digit adoption of Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature became a focal point Tuesday when Adam Mosseri testified that only 1%-2% of teen accounts used it before Meta made it default in 2024.
  • Mosseri said Instagram delayed the default setting because “most teens didn’t want it,” while acknowledging Meta had not disclosed the weak uptake even as it promoted that more than 90% of teens who enabled the feature kept it on.
  • Colorado and other states argue the feature’s poor reach undercuts Meta’s safety claims, with former employees testifying that tools such as Take a Break and Quiet Mode were hard to find and that default activation would have hurt engagement.
  • The case, brought by 29 states seeking about $200 billion, alleges Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to hook young users and illegally collected data from children under 13; Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide liability after an advisory verdict.

Insights

With up to $1.4 trillion at stake, could this landmark trial force Meta to completely dismantle its most profitable engagement features?
Following massive payouts in other states, will this federal case become the Big Tobacco moment that permanently reshapes social media design?