Instagram chief says 16-hour daily scrolling isn’t ‘addiction’

Ask around and you’ll hear more and more people saying that social media is a bane on society. The discussion around digital screen addiction is gaining momentum again, with some countries introducing age limits for social media and others considering outright bans.

The latest news is that Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has come under fire after he made a statement in connection with a trial in Los Angeles where Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are being prosecuted for their use of addictive algorithms.

According to Mosseri, it shouldn’t be considered an “addiction” if a young person scrolls through Instagram for 16 hours a day, although he agrees that it can be “problematic.”

“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,” Adam Mosseri said (spotted by Neowin).

In the trial, excessive use of social media—including but not limited to Instagram—is being linked to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. But it remains to be seen what the judge will conclude.

Even so, no one can deny that social media is affecting us. We actually tried a 1-week social media detox to see what kinds of benefits we might experience—and it surprised us!