Cecilia Tesch, mother of a 13-year-old, is suing Facebook and its parent company Meta.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit alleges that the content shown to Tesch’s daughter on Facebook and the app’s recommendations led her to develop problems such as “body dysmorphia eating disorder, self-harm, service anxiety, depression and a decrease in motivation to do schoolwork or socialize with her family and peers.”<\/p>\n
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n
According to the lawsuit, Tesch’s daughter began using Facebook at the age of seven and quickly developed an “addictive and problematic use of the platform.”<\/p>\n
Tesch’s daughter, who was identified as R.P. throughout the complaint, is described as a “heavy user of Facebook,” and the lawsuit says that R.P.’s interest in other activities has waned and her sleep has suffered due to “constant notifications” from the social media app.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs say Facebook’s age verification policies are weak and accuse the company of knowingly exploiting “vulnerable users” for profit.<\/p>\n
Meta “designed Facebook to allow children and adolescents to use, become addicted to, and abuse their product without the consent of the users’ parents,” the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n