“When You’re On Social Media You’re Not The Customer – You’re The Product,” Says Attorney

Last year Cece and her mother, Candace, filed a lawsuit against social media giant Meta accusing it of “causing and contributing to the growing mental health crisis among children and teens.” Cece, who is currently a high school senior, says she became addicted to social media around age 12 and claims that algorithms on one of Meta’s platforms directed her to content that led her to an eating disorder. Candace claims it was “intentional targeting.” Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims’ Law Center (SMVLC), asserts that what happened to Cece was not an accident or a coincidence. “It was a result of the direct design decisions that Meta made to target youth through addictive algorithms,” he claims. Continuing, the attorney says, “When you’re on social media, you’re not the customer – you’re the product. They’re selling your eyes on the screen, and the more time they can get young people to have their eyes on the screen, the more money they make.” This episode of Dr. Phil, “Triggered: Is Social Media Pushing Girls to Self-Harm?” airs Tuesday. And later, Dr. Phil reads a statement from Meta about everything they’re doing to keep teens safe on social media. Check your local listing for airtimes. WATCH: High School Senior Claims Social Media Algorithms Led To An Eating Disorder TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Life in crisis?