Recent reports indicate that Instagram can cause harm to its users through addictive and manipulative design techniques.
If you used Instagram within the past five years and believe that your Instagram use negatively impacted your mental or physical health, you may be entitled to monetary damages, as well as reimbursement for medical treatment.
What’s Going On?
In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a public health advisory on the negative impacts of social media on youth mental health. Leading researchers have also found that social media is a major contributor to recent declines in teen mental health.
In addition, recently multiple lawsuits have been filed against Instagram and other social media companies alleging defective design and failure to warn about the negative impacts on teen mental health. These lawsuits allege that Instagram users have experienced a variety of mental and physical harms, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, body image issues, and others.
To learn more read the following:
- Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health, S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Teen Mental Health Is Plummeting, and Social Media is a Major Contributing Cause, S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Meta Sued by 42 AGs for Addictive Features Targeting Kids, CNBC
Zimmerman Reed is representing individuals to pursue these claims in arbitration rather than filing a traditional lawsuit. Instagram’s Terms of Use require that any disputes related to the use of Instagram be submitted in arbitration. In an arbitration forum, a neutral third party, called an arbitrator, determines how the dispute should be resolved, much like a judge would do in court. In this case, we would be asking the arbitrator to award you financial compensation for mental and physical harm you experienced resulting from your use of Instagram.
Am I Affected?
If you used Instagram within the past five years and believe that your Instagram use negatively impacted your mental or physical health, you may be eligible to submit a claim.
Fill out the Free Case Review Form to see if you qualify for a claim.
What Should I Do Next?
- Take action – see if you qualify for compensation
- Provide basic details to ZR for review
- If your claim qualifies, ZR will submit your claim for compensation and keep you updated on next steps
What Fees or Costs Does ZR Charge?
You will not be responsible for any fees or costs unless we obtain compensation for you. The firm will advance any costs to submit and resolve your claim, including any arbitration fees.
Ultimately, should you choose to settle your case, our firm would be entitled to a contingency fee based on the value of your settlement. The choice to accept a monetary settlement is yours and yours alone.
More Questions?
If you still have questions, please let us know using this Contact Form and an experienced attorney or team member will be in touch with you shortly.
