Woman files suit alleging Instagram addiction caused depression, eating disorder

Spread the love


A Virginia woman filed a lawsuit against Meta — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — alleging the company knowingly unleashed a defectively designed product which is “addictive, harmful, and at times fatal to children,” according to court records.

In the civil complaint filed on Sept. 4 in San Mateo County, Laura Ashman, 21, of Fredricksburg, Va. said she became addicted to Instagram at age 12, scrolling through the site up to 10 hours per day. That usage, she added, caused her to develop a severe eating disorder and depression.

When Ashman was in 8th grade, according to court documents, she began a pattern of self-harm which resulted in multiple hospitalizations over her teenage years including a three-month residential treatment and various partial-hospitalization treatment programs.

See also  Zaya Wade Models in New Instagram Video, and Dwyane Wade Approves

Ashman is seeking unspecified compensatory damages for physical pain and mental anguish due to her Instagram addiction in addition to punitive damages which would prevent future negligence from the platform, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after a separate lawsuit was filed on Aug. 26 in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco alleging the Meta Inc. platforms and Snapchat designed defective and dangerous products with algorithms that, among other problems, “attract, enable and facilitate child predators’ recruitment of unsuspecting child users,” according to court records.

Previn Warren, one of Ashman’s attorneys in the case, argued that the addictive nature of Instagram’s product design has created a public health crisis — specifically among preteen and teenage girls.

See also  How to Solve Net Zero Klue in Mortal Kombat 1 Invasion

“There are teenagers and pre-teenagers all around the country who are suffering from serious mental health problems on account of their addiction to Instagram,” Warren said, pointing to the specific algorithms used by the app and Meta’s leaked research related to its affects. “At the end of the day it’s about the structure of the product. The algorithms and the product designer’s knowledge that the algorithm was going to be addictive.”

Ashman’s attorneys also included citations of internal Meta presentations from 2019 and 2020 in which the company concluded their product makes “body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” according to the complaint.

Warren — who said he attended Harvard University at the same time Meta Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg did — recalled the initial upset feelings his fellow students had at the school when Zuckerberg introduced Facemash, his precursor to Facebook, which invited Harvard student users to rank female students by their appearance by comparing their photos.

“This isn’t something I read in an article somewhere. I lived it,” he said. “The self esteem of others and mental health is something that Mark Zuckerberg has treated as collateral damage throughout his career.”

Meta Inc. could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday night.

Joel Umanzor (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: joel.umanzor@sfchronicle.com

best barefoot shoes

Source link

  • Related Posts

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    Spread the love

    Spread the loveJava Burn Review This revolutionary dietary supplement, designed to turbocharge your coffee routine, sets a new weight loss and fat-burning standard. With a carefully selected blend of all-natural…

    Read more

    Farmskins Promo Codes: Unlock Savings Today!

    Spread the love

    Spread the love Farmskins.com offers a unique opportunity for gamers to engage in the excitement of opening virtual cases that contain a variety of in-game items specifically for Counter-Strike 2…

    Read more

    You Missed

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    Java Burn Review – Drink coffee and lose weight

    Roots and Rhythm: Charlie Peacock’s Musical Memoir Insights

    Roots and Rhythm: Charlie Peacock’s Musical Memoir Insights

    Elmo’s Super Bowl Tweet Triggers Internet Backlash

    Elmo’s Super Bowl Tweet Triggers Internet Backlash

    Farmskins Promo Codes: Unlock Savings Today!

    Farmskins Promo Codes: Unlock Savings Today!

    Alleviating Data Security Concerns: TikTok’s US Strategy

    Alleviating Data Security Concerns: TikTok’s US Strategy

    OnePlus Watch 3 Launching on February 18

    OnePlus Watch 3 Launching on February 18

    Drake Discussed by Boosie and Marlon Wayans After Super Bowl

    Drake Discussed by Boosie and Marlon Wayans After Super Bowl

    Drake and Serena Williams: Exploring Their Past Romance

    Drake and Serena Williams: Exploring Their Past Romance

    Elon Musk’s DOGE: A Threat to the U.S. Government’s Future

    Elon Musk’s DOGE: A Threat to the U.S. Government’s Future

    AirPods Max Deal: Save $70 on Apple Headphones

    AirPods Max Deal: Save $70 on Apple Headphones

    java burn weight loss with coffee

    This will close in 0 seconds