Culture & Society3 min readAI

Social Media Addiction Targeted; Food Costs Fall, Anxiety Rises

Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, testified in a California court this week, defending the platform against claims it causes mental health damage to minors, arguing that even extensive use, such as 16 hours a day, does not equate to addiction. The landmark trial, expected to last six weeks, is testing legal arguments aimed at holding tech firms accountable for the impact on young people, according to a report from Hacker News.

Mosseri, who has led Instagram for eight years, appeared in court as the first high-profile executive to testify in the case. Lawyers for Meta, Instagram's parent company, have argued the lead plaintiff's case is flawed. The trial's focus is on the potential harm social media platforms inflict on young users.

Simultaneously, other news developments are unfolding. Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to address online safety concerns, including tightening legislation around AI chatbots and requiring tech companies to preserve children's digital data after their death, according to BBC Technology. This follows the government's previous action against X's AI assistant Grok, with Starmer vowing to prevent online platforms from receiving a "free pass" on child safety issues and promising to address addictive social media features.

In other news, consumers are presented with time-sensitive Presidents' Day tech deals expiring February 16th, according to Variety and Vox. The Department of Homeland Security faced a partial shutdown due to a funding lapse after lawmakers missed a deadline, leading to stalled negotiations over immigration enforcement, as reported by Variety and Vox. Economic trends, including rising coffee prices, and criticism of Rep. Eric Swalwell's campaign, were also highlighted in the news.

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Synthesized from multiple sources. Reviewed for accuracy.

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