Meta Refused to Enable Teen Safety Tool by Default, Jury Told
A proposal to activate Instagram’s break reminder feature by default was rejected due to concerns over its impact on core metrics, according to a former Meta data scientist’s testimony. Roughly two out of every 1,000 teenage users engaged with the tool, considered minimal by the witness.
Testimony Details
George Volichenko, who worked on Instagram’s mental wellbeing team from April 2022 to February 2023, shared these insights during a trial in Oakland this week. He reported that fewer than 0.165% of teenage users enabled the "Take a Break" feature and took the suggested pause, with later reviews indicating slightly higher but still minimal adoption rates (around 0.2%).
Initially, the tool required users to opt-in rather than being enabled by default. Making it an opt-out option was considered but rejected as it could negatively impact core metrics, potentially leading to significant audience declines and requiring explanations from leadership.
Discrepancies in Public Statements
Volichenko also revealed that Instagram documents marked with attorney-client privilege were common, suggesting a strategy to conceal certain information from public view. He faced questioning from Meta’s lawyer regarding the low adoption rates, acknowledging that while it might seem minimal, it still translates to hundreds of thousands of teens.
This case highlights the complex balance between user safety features and maintaining user engagement metrics in the tech industry.