Instagram chief says he does not believe people can get clinically addicted to social media

"He said he and his colleagues use the term "problematic use" to refer to "someone spending more time on Instagram than they feel good about, and that definitely happens.""

"Mosseri said he was not claiming to be a medical expert when questioned about his qualifications to comment on the legitimacy of social media addiction, but said someone "very close" to him has experienced serious clinical addiction, which is why he said he was "being careful with my words.""

"It's "not good for the company, over the long run, to make decisions that profit for us but are poor for people's wellbeing," Mosseri said."

Adam Mosseri testified in a Los Angeles trial that he disagrees with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms. Plaintiffs seek to hold Meta and YouTube responsible for harms to children, with a 20-year-old identified as "KGM" serving as a bellwether plaintiff. Mosseri differentiated clinical addiction from problematic use and said his team uses "problematic use" to describe someone spending more time on Instagram than they feel good about. He acknowledged using the term "addiction" casually in a past interview, said he is not a medical expert, and noted someone close to him experienced serious clinical addiction. Mosseri added that long-term company decisions should not profit at the expense of people's wellbeing.

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