Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has downplayed claims that people experience “clinical addiction” to the social media platform, but admitted there are some cases of “problematic use.”
At the end of January, TikTok, along with Meta, Snapchat, and Google, were named in part of a landmark lawsuit about social media use. According to an unnamed 19-year-old, who is only being called by the initials ‘KGM’, the platforms gave her depressive and suicidal thoughts due to their addictive algorithm.
TikTok and Snapchat both settled out of court before the hearing of the lawsuit began, but Meta has been fighting back in court.
On February 11, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri noted that there are some cases of “problematic use,” but doesn’t believe it’s enough for anyone to have a “clinical addiction” to the platform.
Instagram boss says some users can “feel good” after long usage
According to the BBC, the Meta official claimed that some can use the platform “more than you and feel good about it,” and that having a problem is a “personal thing” for individuals.
“It’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” Mosseri added during the hearing.
“I’m sure I’ve said that I’ve been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don’t think it’s the same thing as clinical addiction.”
The Instagram boss answered, “that sounds like problematic use,” when pushed on the fact that KGM had used the platform for 16 hours on one occasion. As per the BBC, he repeatedly stated that he wasn’t an expert on addiction too.
The case is set to rumble on for a while, with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg reportedly set to appear in court at some point in February.
This isn’t the first time that the platforms have been sued, with a $4.5 billion suit being filed by Canadian schools back in 2024. However, that was about disruption to schools, not addiction.
