Instagram's Day in Court: Evaluating the Impact of Endless Scroll

Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, is preparing to testify for the first time about whether the platform's design contributes to a youth mental health crisis. His appearance in a Los Angeles court is part of a broader trial addressing what plaintiffs describe as 'social media addiction' among young users.

The trial centers around a 20-year-old woman claiming Instagram's design, specifically its attention-grabbing features, led to her developing an addiction at a young age. The case could set a precedent for how social media companies handle hundreds of similar lawsuits across the U.S., as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also expected to testify.

The company's 'endless scroll' feature, which continuously loads content, is under scrutiny, particularly after a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting it may prevent kids from disengaging. Discussions in court also revealed that Meta's internal documents acknowledged potential risks to children using Instagram, although the company insists these discussions were meant to tackle problems and improve user control.