Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified Wednesday in a landmark trial concerning allegations that social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, are designed to be addictive for young users, marking a significant legal challenge for major tech companies. Meanwhile, TikTok announced the launch of a new "Local" feed, tapping into users' geolocation data to showcase nearby businesses and services.
Mosseri's testimony, part of a trial where Meta and YouTube face a jury for the first time over these allegations, focused on the design and functionality of Instagram. According to Meta, Mosseri "oversees all functions" of the Instagram app, including engineering, product, and operations. The trial highlights growing concerns about the impact of social media on children, a topic also addressed in a recent report by the children's commissioner for England.
The report revealed that children are routinely exposed to advertisements for weight loss injections and pills online, despite such advertising being banned. Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, stated that these posts were "immensely damaging" to young people's self-esteem and called for a ban on social media advertising to children. The media regulator Ofcom stated it does not tolerate "tech firms prioritizing engagement over children's online safety."
In a separate development, TikTok is rolling out its new "Local" feed, which will display content related to nearby travel, events, restaurants, and shopping, as well as posts from local creators. The "Local" tab will not appear in accounts owned by people younger than 18, those with private accounts, or those who have set their privacy settings to "friends" or "only you," according to CBS News.
These developments come as Apple and Google agreed to make changes to their app stores in the UK following an intervention from the UK markets regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The tech giants committed to not giving preferential treatment to their own apps and will be transparent about how others are approved for sale. The CMA's head, Sarah Cardell, said the proposed commitments "will boost the UK's app economy."
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