A US family is suing Meta, the tech conglomerate that spans Facebook and Instagram, accusing it of spreading content that causes an eating disorder and self-harm in a young woman. According to the website of US broadcaster NBC News, the lawsuit was filed yesterday in California and referred to the collection of leaked documents from Facebook Documents.
The lawsuit was carried on behalf of 19-year-old Alexis Spence and by Social Media. casualties live centreA group that advocates for families of young people with internet problems.
According to the documents, the young woman managed to create her first Instagram account at the age of 11 without her parents’ knowledge, which violated the company’s guidelines as the minimum age to be on the platform is 13. The family reported that the social network was addictive and had a range of content glorifying anorexia and self-harm.
The family claims that Alexis was hospitalized with depression, anxiety and a loss of appetite and “struggles to get better every day”. The situation will be the result of “harmful content and resources that Instagram relentlessly promotes and provides to increase engagement.”
The lawsuit includes other documents that show the company’s efforts to recruit users under the age of 18. “If you look at the extensive research, [o Meta] carried out, [percebe que] “They knew exactly what they were doing to the children and continued to do so,” said Matthew P. Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, who represented the young woman’s family in the case.
According to the attorney, this is the first case in the US based on Facebook Documents documents leaked.
Speaking to NBC News, Instagram spokesperson Liza Crenshaw declined to comment on the case.
In addition to representing Alexis’ family, Bergman is also in the case of Tammy Rodriguez, a mother who sued Snapchat company Meta and Snap in January after the suicide of her 11-year-old daughter.
While she could not comment on the details of the case, Snap spokeswoman Katie Derkits said in a statement that “nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our community.”
“We work closely with many mental health organizations to provide users with in-app tools and resources as part of our ongoing work to keep our community safe,” he told NBC News.
Facebook Papers
Late last year, 37-year-old Frances Haugen, the social network’s former civil integrity manager, decided to file a series of complaints against Facebook. In addition to the whistleblower, news from North American newspapers such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post revealed the behind-the-scenes performance of the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp.
Some publications even said, based on leaked internal documents, that founder Mark Zuckerberg prioritized profits over the safety of people on the network – which he later denied. The case was called “Facebook Documents.”
Topics addressed include not investing in content moderation that promotes the spread of hate speech and disinformation campaigns; Facebook’s decision to stop acting on controversial issues (such as content moderation) so as not to lose ground in lucrative markets; and investment cuts to prevent child abuse.
source: Noticias
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