Instagram testing feature that lets you secretly watch stories – for a fee

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Meta and YouTube have been ordered to pay $6 million in the landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles.The combined $6 million verdict included punitive damages, and follows the jury’s finding of "malice, oppression, or fraud," specifically targeting the companies' intentional use of addictive design features. Star Kashman  with Cyber Law Firm weighs in. 

Instagram is testing a paid subscription model that lets users pay a fee to secretly watch stories on the social media app, among other perks. 

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, confirmed the news to FOX Local. Here’s what they said: 

Instagram story’s anonymous viewer

What we know:

Among the most notable features of the paid model is the ability to watch a story without showing up as a viewer. 

Other features include: 

• Unlimited audience lists for Stories, beyond Close Friends
• Ability to see how many people rewatched your story
• Spotlighting a story once a week
• Showing "extra love" with animated "super hearts" on stories
• Extending stories for an additional 24 hours
• Search your story viewer list instead of scrolling through it. 

Instagram logo (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

What they're saying:

A Meta spokesperson said paid model testing began in February in a few countries "to give people more enhanced ways to use our products, while keeping our core experience free for everyone."

RELATED: Meta violated child safety laws, jury says: What this means for social media

"Our hope from these tests is to understand what’s most valuable to people in a premium feature set. This is a test that is part of that ongoing work."

What we don't know:

Meta didn’t say exactly where the paid model is being tested, but several reports say it’s Mexico, Japan and the Philippines. 

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We are getting the latest tonight as a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million. This comes after they reportedly found evidence that the company violated state law and misled users about the safety of its platforms. Attorney General Raul Torrez accused Meta of failing to protect children from predators. LiveNOW’s Shawna Khalafi is speaking with legal analyst Neama Rahmani, who helps explain the difference between this case and the high-profile Los Angeles trial surrounding claims of social media addiction. 

Dig deeper:

The testing comes as Meta was found liable in two separate court challenges this week. The first was in New Mexico, where a jury determined the company harms children’s mental health and safety, in violation of state law. A second jury in California on Wednesday decided Meta and YouTube use their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being. In California, Meta and YouTube will pay millions to a woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child and that the addiction exacerbated her mental health struggles.