Instagram tracked growing usage while targeting teens, lawyers argue
The company said usage grew from 40 minutes per day in 2023 to 46 minutes in 2026. Other documents referenced teens as being a top priority for the app before asking existing users for birthdays.
Instagram tracked the time users spent on its app, with company executives flagging “milestones” that its app reached year after year. The app’s daily usage grew from 40 minutes per day in 2023 to 46 minutes per day in 2026, according to documentation revealed during CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in a state court case proceeding that took place in Los Angeles County Superior Court in February.
The focus on time-spent metrics is a key factor in the lawsuit, which is one of Zuckerberg’s rare appearances before a jury.
In K.G.M. v. Platforms et al., now underway in L.A. County’s Superior Court, a jury will determine whether social media companies are liable for youth mental health issues caused by their platforms or their addictive designs. Snap and TikTok settled before the trial’s start, but executives from the other defendants, Meta and YouTube, are providing testimony as part of the trial.
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