Instagram Boss Is Taken to Court! "Endless Scroll" Feature Is Accused of Triggering Teen Mental Crisis

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri (photo; x @XBuildersSpace)

JAKARTA - Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is scheduled to testify in court for the first time on Wednesday, February 11 local time, regarding allegations that the design of Meta's app has triggered a mental health crisis among children and adolescents.

Mosseri will testify in Los Angeles in a case that plaintiffs have dubbed a "social media addiction" case in children and young adults. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also expected to testify in the coming weeks.

This matter began with a lawsuit by a 20-year-old woman from California who stated that she had become addicted to Instagram since she was young because of the design of the application which was deliberately created to attract and hold the user's attention. In the court documents, he said the "endless scroll" feature or endless scrolling made him constantly use the application and contributed to the anxiety he was experiencing.

"I became addicted to Instagram at a young age because of its design that caught my attention," the plaintiff said in a court filing.

The endless scroll feature is a mechanism in which content will continue to be loaded automatically when users scroll down the screen, without a clear limit. The American Academy of Pediatrics in January 2026 stated that this feature can make it more difficult for children to "break away from digital devices."

The plaintiff's lawyer said internal company documents showed that Meta had known about the potential negative impact of Instagram on children. "Internal notes show that the company is aware of the risk of danger for children from using Instagram," said the plaintiff's lawyer team at the trial.

They also highlighted an internal Meta study that said it showed that teenagers who were having problems in their lives were more prone to addiction, while parents were judged to have no meaningful control over their use of the app.

However, Meta strongly denied the allegations. In a statement ahead of Mosseri's testimony, a Meta spokesperson said, "We strongly disagree with this allegation and believe the evidence will show our long-term commitment to supporting young people."

Meta's lawyer in court also emphasized that the company's internal discussions were aimed at addressing problems and adding features that give users more control. "Internal discussions are carried out to find solutions and improve protection for users," said Meta's lawyer.

The ruling in this case is considered to have a major impact on hundreds of similar lawsuits filed against social media companies in the United States. If the court decides that the design of the application contributes to addiction and mental disorders, technology companies could face tighter legal and regulatory pressures.

The issue of children's access to social media is also a global concern. Australia in December 2025 became the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms. A number of other countries such as Spain, Greece, England, and France are even considering similar steps.

Mosseri's testimony is expected to delve deeper into the contents of the company's internal documents and the extent to which Instagram management understands the impact of its products on the mental health of young people. The development of this case will be widely in the spotlight because it can determine the direction of policy and legal responsibility of the social media industry in the future.