Does the Target group create a harmful environment through their social networks? The question arises again after two complaints registered in San Francisco (United States). Two families accuse the owner of Instagram of having participated in the development of their daughters’ eating disorders.
These legal attacks echo previous allegations. In April 2022, a family accused Instagram and Snapchat of having contributed to the deterioration of the mental health of a young American, and of causing his suicide in 2015. In January 2021, similar events had already been the subject of a complaint filed after the suicide of an 11-year-old girl.
Too young users
One of the new charges came from a family in Kentucky. She claims that Meta has created “the perfect storm” of addiction, social comparison, and exposure to incredibly dangerous content. According to the young Alex’s family, this exposure would have caused her emotional, physical and economic damage.
The second complaint points to “unreasonably dangerous Instagram products.” Once again, the family mourns the physical and mental damage suffered by their teenage daughter.
In both files, the families specify that the young users joined the Meta platform at the age of 12. However, Instagram’s policy is that an account cannot be owned by a child under the age of 13.
A year ago, the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles in the Facebook group (since renamed Meta). In this important survey, it seems that the company is very aware of the problems it causes among its users. In documents dated 2019, the results of internal studies state: “We aggravate the complexes of one in three young people.”
Source: BFM TV
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