Instagram, TikTok to Blame for ‘Burgeoning’ Mental Health Crisis: Suit
A new product liability action Friday in U.S. District Court for Northern California in Oakland seeks to hold Instagram and TikTok responsible for “causing and contributing to the burgeoning mental health crisis” among children and teenagers in the U.S. Instagram…
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and TikTok don't warn parents “about any of the myriad harms they know or should know their products are causing,” alleged plaintiff Elizabeth Mullen’s complaint (docket 4:23-cv-00600) on behalf of herself and her minor child “N.M.” It's “technologically feasible” for Instagram and TikTok to design social media products, features and settings “that substantially decrease both the incidence and magnitude of harm to ordinary consumers and minors,” it said. Mullen’s complaint also brought claims for “common law negligence” arising from the defendants’ “unreasonably dangerous social media products and their failure to warn of such dangers.” Her complaint was the latest in a rash of recent actions, including those brought by at least two school districts, seeking to hold social media substantially responsible for the mental health crisis among youthful users of the platforms (see 2301270067).