Aug 25 (Reuters) – Instagram head Adam Mosseri is expected to take the witness stand on Tuesday in a trial over whether Meta Platforms designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children without proper regard for their safety.
Mosseri is a central witness in the lawsuit by 29 U.S. states, in what experts call the biggest legal test yet of social media’s effects on young users.
Four of the states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — have accused Meta of designing the platforms to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression and even suicide, while misleading consumers about their safety.
All 29 states say Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data of children under 13 while they used its platforms.
Mosseri’s expected testimony was confirmed by the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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