Lawsuits have been filed by angry parents who claim that Instagram caused their teenager’s suicide or mental health issues.
Need a Texas Instagram Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you believe that Instagram or social media caused your child’s suicide or mental health issue, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Instagram Eating Disorder Lawsuit Filed in California
In June 2022, the parents of an 11-year-old girl with anorexia filed a lawsuit against Meta Inc., the parent company of Instagram. The lawsuit alleged that Instagram caused the girl to develop a dangerous eating disorder, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and mental health issues.
What is Instagram?
Instagram is a social media platform in which users share photos and videos. It is estimated to have more than 1 billion users worldwide in 2021. Instagram is owned by Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook.
What is the Problem?
Like many social media platforms, Instagram uses a variety of algorithms and other information to create a “Feed” that is fine-tuned to show you posts based on what it thinks you like the most.
For example, if you interact with a lot of pictures of cute dogs, Instagram will show you more and more pictures of cute dogs.
The problem is when young people start interacting with a lot of toxic content — for example, an insecure teenage girl who starts looking at pictures of super-skinny “influencers.” Looking at the pictures makes her feel bad about herself, but Instagram shows her more and more.
Because she is young, she may not understand that the pictures she sees on Instagram are not real. Over time, she might become even more insecure, depressed, or develop an eating disorder in an attempt to look like the “influencers” that seem to have the perfect body.
Taken to the extreme, eating disorders can be deadly, and depression can lead to suicide. The risk is greatest for teenagers who also become addicted to social media, obsessively spending hours every day scrolling through their feeds and consuming toxic content.
What is the Risk?
- Suicide
- Suicide Ideation / Attempts
- Self-Harm
- Severe Depression
- Certain emotional disorders (anxiety, low self-esteem, etc.)
- Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, etc.)
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Sexual abuse or exploitation
- Other mental health disorders
- And more
Instagram Hit With Lawsuit for Teen Suicide
In January 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Meta and Snap by the mother of an 11-year-old girl who killed herself after becoming addicted to Instagram and Snapchat.
The mother, Tammy R., claimed that her daughter Selena “struggled for more than two years with an extreme addiction to Instagram and Snapchat.” She suffered from severe depression, sleep deprivation, and eating disorders, which led to her suicide in July 2021.
Instagram Lawsuit Filed for Teenager’s Mental Health Problems
Meta was hit with another Instagram lawsuit in January 2022. The lawsuit was filed by Brittney D., a mother from Ashland, Oregon, who claimed that her daughter developed severe mental health issues after becoming addicted to Instagram and Snapchat.
State Officials Investigate Negative Effects of Social Media
In November 2021, a coalition of state attorneys general announced an investigation into the negative effects of social media on teenagers. According to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey:
“Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect young people on its platforms and instead chose to ignore or, in some cases, double down on known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health – exploiting children in the interest of profit.”
Need an Instagram Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.