16 hours on Instagram is problematic, not clinical addiction, says CEO Adam Mosseri

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has testified that spending up to 16 hours a day on the platform constitutes “problematic use” rather than clinical addiction, a distinction that has sparked intense debate during an ongoing high-stakes trial in Los Angeles.

The comments emerged as Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, took the stand in a case accusing Meta (Instagram’s parent company) and YouTube of designing addictive features that harm minors’ mental health. The trial, which began this week and could run for up to six weeks, is one of the most significant legal challenges yet to the social media industry’s responsibility for youth well-being.