Turning Regretted Instagram Scrolling into Valued Time While Growing Revenue

You are a product manager at Meta working on Instagram. Your task has two goals at once: people should feel less guilty about the time they spend on Instagram, and Instagram's revenue should grow. How would you approach it? Explain what you take "guilt" to mean, which users you would focus on, what you would build, and how you would show that both goals are being met. ```hint Look for where the goals agree If guilt simply means time spent, reducing guilt and growing revenue pull in opposite directions. Look for a definition of guilt where the fix leaves people with something they value, and for revenue that comes from that value rather than from extra scrolling. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should guilt be read as total time on the app, or as time people themselves regret, such as late-night scrolling or long passive Reels sessions? - Which revenue sources count: advertising only, or also shopping, creator subscriptions and other paid features? - Is some drop in total time spent acceptable if revenue still grows, or must time spent be protected as a guardrail? - Is any user group out of scope for monetization changes, for example teenagers? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A precise definition of guilt that separates regretted time from valued time, and why that distinction eases the tension with revenue - A chosen user segment with concrete guilt triggers tied to how they use feed, Reels and Stories - Product ideas that reduce regret without simply cutting usage, each with a clear path to revenue, and a reasoned priority among them - A way to measure guilt directly, alongside revenue metrics and engagement guardrails - The risk of the plan feeling manipulative or preachy, and how the design avoids it ### Follow-up Questions - Your top idea lowers regret in user surveys but also lowers ad impressions. Do you ship it, and what evidence would change your mind? - Why not simply show more ads once a session runs long, so people are nudged to leave and revenue rises? - How would the plan change for users under 18?