Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri defended on Tuesday before a California court that the user protection measures for minors implemented by his platform have improved over time, although he acknowledged that their effect has been limited. His was the first statement from a senior Meta executive, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in the lawsuit filed by 29 US states against the company led by Mark Zuckerberg, who will also have to testify these days.
Read more Trip to Transnistria: a tailor-made mirage for the tourist
Mosseri also acknowledged that, although Instagram has strengthened protection for minors with parental control measures or restrictions that temporarily limit the use of the app by teenagers, it has not changed much the frequency of platform use by minors nor how much time they spend on it. “There are no magic solutions for problems like this,” he said.
Meta is accused of violating a federal law on the privacy of minors, as well as several state consumer protection laws. The case is part of a cascade of lawsuits filed by families, educational institutions, and attorneys general from several states claiming that Meta’s platforms can cause an addiction in minors similar to that of slot machines or tobacco.
Meta, for its part, has denied that there is scientific evidence confirming that its platforms cause addiction. It also relies on a federal regulation that protects companies from any liability for content posted on social networks by users.
Read more United States suspends visa application appointments at embassies and consulates worldwide
This trial, in which Zuckerberg himself will appear, is taking place in Oakland, California, two weeks after it was announced that a New Mexico court imposed a $567 million fine on the company, which will be used to fund institutions that oversee the mental health of minors.
That ruling, which Meta announced it would appeal, also requires concrete changes from a tech company for the first time, arguing that, just as with companies that pollute, whose negative externalities do not harm a series of individuals but the whole society, platforms must take responsibility for the damage they cause to the public, not just to social network users.
Read more The trial
[Update forthcoming]
