A self-professed social media addict sued Meta Platforms in Missouri federal court last week alleging unjust enrichment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and 18 other causes of action.
Valentina Estevanott, 21, a heavy user of the Meta platform, alleges she suffered the consequences of being addicted to Facebook as a minor.
Meta Platforms Inc. is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
“Plaintiff began engaging in addictive and problematic use of the platform,” wrote attorney Kirk J. Goza in the June 7 complaint. “Plaintiff’s interest in any activity other than viewing and posting on the Meta platform(s) progressively declined. Plaintiff subsequently developed injuries including, but not limited to, multiple periods of suicidal ideation, self-harm, an eating disorder(s), depression, anxiety, headaches, fatigue, and a reduced inclination or ability to sleep.”
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in the Southern Division by the Beasley Allen law firm.
“These platforms are designed to keep people engaged as much as possible,” said Beasley Allen attorney Joseph Van Zandt. “The more time the user spends on the platform, the more money these companies make from advertisers. So, this product, in our view, is designed to be addictive. We’re not completely anti-social media. There are proper places in society for these types of platforms. But when they are dealing with the mental and physical health of young people, they cannot put their profits over children. That's what this is getting to the bottom of.”
The lawsuit follows Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s Senate testimony called “Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower.”
“It’s becoming more and more of a problem and the Facebook whistleblower who testified in front of Congress in October revealed a lot of new information that people didn't know, which is that the harm that's being done to young people is not accidental but is a result of the design of Facebook's algorithms, the way their platforms funnel certain divisive content, harmful content to youth,” Van Zandt said. “It's all designed in order to increase engagement, user time and usage.”
The other states in which similar complaints were filed include Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg on the cases we intend to file,” Van Zandt added. “Those are states where those clients that we represent reside and where most of the harm has occurred to them based on those individuals, which is why we filed in those particular federal courts within those states but we certainly anticipate expanding those cases, both the number of cases filed and the locations and states where those are filed over the next several weeks and months.”