TOXIC MEDIA

Instagram, Snapchat Obsession Caused 11-Year-Old’s Suicide, Lawsuit Claims

Tammy Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against the apps’ parent companies in federal court Thursday.

A Connecticut mom has sued Meta and Snap, claiming her 11-year-old daughter’s addiction to Instagram and Snapchat led her to take her own life. In the lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, Tammy Rodriguez says her daughter Selena’s obsession with the apps led her to run away from home when her mom tried to limit her access. Rodriguez claimed Selena’s therapist had never seen someone as addicted to social media as her, one that worsened throughout the COVID pandemic. Selena eventually began sending sexually explicit content through Snapchat, the suit claims, and she suffered from self-harm and eating disorders before her death. “Defendants have designed Instagram and Snapchat to allow minor users to use, become addicted to, and abuse their products without the consent of the users’ parents,” the suit says. Snap declined to comment on the specific allegations to Bloomberg, but said “nothing is more important to us than the wellbeing of our community.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741