US mum sues makers of Instagram, Snapchat

The teen allegedly developed an eating disorder and 'engaged in periodic crash diets followed by binge eating' that the lawsuit alleges was 'specifically due to recommendations and content' on Instagram and Snapchat. — Photo by Rob Hampson on Unsplash

An Ashland woman is suing two social media platforms, saying that her 15-year-old daughter's struggles with mental health stem from dangerous flaws in Instagram and Snapchat's design.

The lawsuit, filed Jan 20 in US District Court in Medford against Snap Inc and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc — known as Facebook, Inc until last fall — claims the teen has needed two psychiatric hospitalisations because of her "extensive and problematic" addiction to social media.