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   'That sounds like problematic use': You're not addicted to Instagram, says its   
   boss - you're just 'binging' it like a Netflix show   
      
   By David Nield published 5 hours ago   
      
   Social media in the dock   
      
       Instagram boss Adam Mosseri insists the app is not addictive   
       Social media apps are on trial for causing mental health issues   
       There is 'problematic use' in some cases, Mosseri admits   
      
   Adam Mosseri, who has been the head of Instagram since 2018, has had some   
   interesting things to say about addiction on the platform. Mosseri was speaking   
   at a high-profile trial in California investigating the mental health impacts   
   of social media.   
      
   Meta's social platforms and YouTube are currently in the dock. They're accused   
   of designing their apps to be as addictive as possible, leading to compulsive   
   use that drives health problems such as body dysmorphia, anxiety, and   
   depression.   
      
   "It's important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic   
   use," Mosseri said (via the BBC). When it was put to him that the main   
   plaintiff in the case, known as KGM, had once spent 16 hours on the platform,   
   he said "that sounds like problematic use".   
      
   "I'm sure I've said that I've been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it   
   really late one night, but I don't think it's the same thing as clinical   
   addiction," Mosseri went on to say, refusing to label the user behavior   
   described in the trial as addictive.   
      
   'Digital casinos'   
      
   While Meta and YouTube are defending themselves, Snap and TikTok have already   
   settled with KGM out of court. The 20-year-old Californian woman sued the   
   social media platforms in 2023, and opening statements have been heard this   
   week.   
      
   KGM's lawyer, Mark Lanier, has argued that these apps and services are   
   essentially "digital casinos", and has highlighted that internal documents from   
   these accused companies have compared their technology with Big Tobacco.   
      
   Meta's defense is that the mental health issues of KGM were brought about   
   primarily by other factors in her life, including abuse and problems at home.   
   However, the plaintiff had previously made over 300 complaints to Instagram   
   about bullying on the platform.   
      
   The trial comes as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over the   
   impacts their algorithms and features have on users. Late last year, Australia   
   banned under-16s from social media, a move that other countries are also   
   considering.   
      
      
   https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/that-sounds-like-problematic-u   
   se-youre-not-addicted-to-instagram-says-its-boss-youre-just-binging-it-like-a-n   
   etflix-show   
      
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