For months, 12-year-old Rossella’s parents watched their daughter change. The cheerful and outgoing girl from northern Italy gradually became withdrawn as she spent more time online. What her family did not realise at the time was that social media platforms were exposing her to a growing stream of content related to depression and self-harm.
Five months after she began searching for such content, Rossella died by suicide.
Now, her parents are among a group of Italian families have decided to file a lawsuit against Meta and TikTok, accusing the social media giants of failing to adequately protect minors and allowing recommendation algorithms to amplify harmful content. The lawsuit, believed to be one of the first collective legal actions in Italy directly targeting social media algorithms. This lawsuit against social media giants intensified discussion across Europe, demanding scrutiny of online platforms over their impact on children’s mental health.
According to Rossella’s mother, Irene Roggero Ugues, the family only discovered the extent of their daughter’s online activity after her death. While reviewing her devices, they found a secret Instagram profile and evidence suggesting she had been consuming large amounts of depressive content. Irene alleges that once Rossella began searching for such material, social media algorithms repeatedly recommended similar content, creating a cycle that deepened her emotional distress.
The families involved in the case argue that social media companies should face greater accountability for the way their algorithms recommend content to young users.
Represented by lawyer Stefano Commodo and supported by the Italian parents’ association MOIGE, they are seeking stronger safeguards for minors, tighter controls on access to harmful content and greater transparency regarding how recommendation systems operate.
The legal challenge claims that engagement-driven algorithms can repeatedly expose vulnerable users to distressing material while encouraging prolonged use through notifications, likes and other reward mechanisms.
Both Meta and TikTok have denied the allegations made in the lawsuit. Meta said it has introduced several protections for teenagers, including dedicated teen accounts and built-in safeguards designed to reduce exposure to harmful content. While TikTok said it actively enforces policies aimed at protecting users’ mental health and removes content that violates its guidelines. The company also highlighted measures intended to diversify content recommendations and connect vulnerable users with support resources. Neither company commented directly on Rossella’s case, citing the ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit comes amid increasing concern among policymakers and health experts over the influence of social media on children and teenagers. European regulators have stepped up enforcement efforts under the Digital Services Act, while several countries are examining additional measures to limit young users’ exposure to harmful online content. The World Health Organization has previously warned that problematic social media use among adolescents is rising and can be associated with lower wellbeing, sleep problems and other health risks. While experts remain divided on how much responsibility should be attributed to social media platforms alone, Rossella’s parents say they joined the lawsuit to ensure other families become aware of risks they believe they discovered too late. “We underestimated certain risks and didn’t know they existed,” Irene said. “Others can still act.”