If your child or teen has suffered from addiction to Instagram to the point where it interferes with their daily life, you may be able to file a lawsuit against Meta, Instagram’s parent company.
What Parties Are Currently Suing Instagram for Harms Against Children and Teens?
There are multiple parties that may be eligible to file a lawsuit against Instagram on behalf of harm caused to children and teens, including:
- Parents and guardians of minors who experienced mental or physical harm from Instagram.
- School districts that have experienced damages from students’ social media use.
- Local governments impacted by costs associated with the ongoing youth mental health crisis.
What Do The Lawsuits Against Instagram Argue?
People filing lawsuits against Instagram argue that the app’s algorithms are designed to be addictive and keep children and teens scrolling as long as possible. Additionally, the lawsuits also draw attention to:
- Instagram has insufficient parental controls
- Instagram has an inadequate age verification process
- Instagram fails to moderate harmful content in a way that sufficiently protects young users mental health.
As a result of Instagram’s negligent design and lack of parental controls, children and teens compulsively overuse the platform subjecting them to dangerous content and interactions that are detrimental to their mental health.
The most-cited mental health issues children and teens experience due to overuse of Instagram include:
- Eating disorders
- Body dysmorphia
- Depression
- Loneliness and isolation
- Anxiety
- Addiction
- Suicidal ideation
- Social comparison
- Self-harm
The Social Media Victims Law Center’s Ongoing Instagram Lawsuits
The Social Media Victims Law Center represents parents whose children were harmed by social media addiction. Unfortunately, many of these cases involve the wrongful deaths of children and teens who died by suicide, and many list Instagram as a direct cause. Some of SMVLC’s ongoing litigation against Instagram, Meta, and other social media platforms includes the following cases:
- Selena Rodriguez – In January 2022, SMVLC filed a wrongful death lawsuit in San Francisco against Meta Platforms and Snap regarding the July 2021 suicide of 11-year-old Selena Rodriguez. The suit alleges that the defective design, negligence, and unreasonably dangerous features of Snapchat and Instagram caused her suicide. In particular, SMVLC argues that the social media platforms failed to protect youth from harmful content, failed to verify users’ ages, failed to provide adequate parental controls, and used algorithms that direct children towards harmful and exploitative content with an addictive design.
- Alexis Spence – In June 2022, SMVLC filed suit against Meta in San Francisco, alleging that Alexis Spence developed an addiction to Instagram that caused anxiety, self-harm, disordered eating, and suicidal thoughts beginning at age 11. The suit alleges that Meta knowingly targets pre-teen users with a product that is designed to be addictive in order to turn a profit.
- Ian James Ezquerra – In August 2022, SMVLC filed suit in Tampa against Meta and Snap for the wrongful death of a 16-year-old that occurred three years prior. The suit alleges that Instagram and Snapchat caused Ian James Ezquerra to develop an addiction, resulting in emotional harm that contributed to his death. The teen died while posting videos of himself on Snapchat playing Russian roulette.
How Can the Social Media Victims Law Center Help With Lawsuits Against Instagram?
If you’re considering suing Instagram, The Social Media Victims Law Center can help. Our attorneys are at the forefront of the movement to hold social media companies like Instagram accountable for the harm they have caused to children and teens. If your child has been harmed by excessive use of Instagram, contact SMVLC today for a free consultation.
