Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said the social media company plans to test hiding "likes" within the app for some U.S. users starting next week, Wired reports.
What he's saying: Mosseri made the announcement Friday at WIRED25 while discussing "why it’s important for social media platforms to take responsibility for the safety and well-being of the people who frequent them," per Wired.
- Mosseri has described previous "like"-less tests as an effort to create a “less pressurized environment."
The big picture: Facebook tested a similar feature in Australia, and Twitter has played with concealing likes and retweets in a limited prototype version of its new mobile app "twttr." Instagram has already tested camouflaging its likes in Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Australia.
- Snapchat's Evan Spiegel criticized the "likes" system on social media for spurring fake news in a 2017 Axios op-ed.
- Concerns over the negative impact of broad social media use have increased in recent years with rising reports of teen suicide, depression and cyberbullying.
Go deeper: New fake-news worry for Instagram
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