Instagram Head Adam Mosseri Testifies in Meta Teen Safety Trial

August 26, 2026 at 04:08 AM2 min

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Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified Tuesday in a trial brought by dozens of state attorneys general accusing Meta of harming young users. He said he was unaware that a company lawyer had told employees to limit data shown to him on teen safety. The trial also revealed internal research showing teens viewed suicide, self-injury, and eating-disorder content at 2.5 times the adult rate.

Key Facts

A 2023 Instagram slide deck found content on suicide, self-injury, and eating disorders had a teen audience 2.5 times larger than adults.
A Meta lawyer told Instagram employees to remove those statistics from the presentation to limit Mosseri's exposure to the information.
Instagram Director of Product Design Francesco Fogu testified he was surprised by the instruction and had never been told to hide data from leadership.
Fogu said the data was still available to executives because it was detailed in reports linked within the presentation.
Mosseri testified he never participated in a conversation about moderating his own access to information.

Mosseri's Testimony

Adam Mosseri took the stand Tuesday in Meta's trial over social media addiction and children's privacy. He said it was 'news to me' that Instagram employees were told by a company lawyer to limit certain data presented to him on teen safety. Mosseri stated he has never participated in a conversation about moderating his own access to information. He described lawyers' role as ensuring the accuracy of documents and that they 'make sense, particularly when it's about whether or not something we're doing complies with the law.'

Internal Research and Data Limitation

A 2023 slide deck prepared by Instagram designers indicated content related to suicide, self injury, and eating disorders had a 'disproportionately large teen audience' that was two and a half times bigger for teens than adults. The deck also indicated content deemed 'non-recommendable' to teens was being viewed by teens at a rate 1.5 times higher than adults. A lawyer for the company later told Instagram employees working on the presentation to remove those stats to 'limit' Mosseri's 'exposure to this information,' according to messages shared during the trial. Francesco Fogu, Instagram's Director of Product Design, testified he was 'surprised' because he had never before been told to 'hide data from leadership.' Fogu said he was ultimately permitted to communicate the data to Instagram's leaders 'vocally' and that the data was still available to executives in linked reports.

Trial Context

Mosseri is the first high-profile executive to testify in the latest social media addiction trial brought by attorneys general from dozens of states. Lawyers for the states have said Meta intentionally tried to 'hook' kids onto its platform despite internal research showing its apps harmed young users. During cross-examination, Fogu said the presentation was successful because it was the 'catalyst' for the creation of Instagram's teen accounts.