Instagram chief admits touting teen safety tool while omitting it was barely used

Adam Mosseri, who oversees Instagram at Meta, admitted in a California court on Tuesday that he touted newly launched safety tools for teens without disclosing low adoption rates from early testing several years ago. With over three billion users globally, Meta faces accusations from a coalition of 29 US states that it designed products to hook children and gather their data while misleading the public. The trial entered its second week on Monday, expected to continue through late September. A lawyer from the Colorado Attorney General's office, Jason Slothouber, questioned Mosseri about the low usage of tools like Take a Break and Quiet Mode, launched in 2021 and 2023 respectively. Mosseri acknowledged that Meta did not disclose the low adoption rates (1-2% for Take a Break, 8.7% for Quiet Mode) but claimed these features were later turned on by default in Teen Accounts with parental controls, launched in 2024. Internal documents revealed adoption rates of 1.8% for Take a Break and 8.7% for Quiet Mode. Former employees testified these tools were ineffective, with one engineer calling Take a Break a 'feature designed to fail.' Meta’s business model prioritizes user engagement and advertising revenue, making default activation of safety features politically risky. A court loss could force significant changes to Meta’s business model, with potential penalties of up to $200 billion.