Italian mother sues Meta and TikTok after daughter’s death

In a quiet café in the northern Italian city of Asti, Irene Roggero Ugues gently holds up her phone. On the screen is a smiling photograph of her daughter Rossella — a child she says was gradually pulled into a darker online world she could not see in time.

Rossella was just 12 years old when she died by suicide in 2024. Now, her mother is at the center of a landmark legal battle against some of the world’s biggest technology companies — Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, and TikTok — accusing them of exposing children to harmful content through their algorithms.

A life changed in months

According to Irene and her husband, Rossella’s behavior began to shift within months of her increasing time on social media. At first, it was subtle changes: more time alone, growing emotional distance, and a quiet withdrawal from daily life.

Then came the discovery that changed everything.

After Rossella’s death, her parents examined her devices and uncovered a hidden digital world. She had been using a secret Instagram account under the username “Just a dead pers0n,” where she searched for and engaged with depressive and self-harm-related content.

Irene says that once Rossella began interacting with such material, social media algorithms kept feeding her more of it — reinforcing her emotional state and intensifying her distress.

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“At some point, it seemed to take on a life of its own,” she said. “It grew until it overwhelmed the cheerful, sociable side of her.”

Within just five months of that online activity escalating, Rossella was gone.

Lawsuit against tech giants

Rossella’s parents are now part of a wider group of Italian families launching a collective legal case against Meta and TikTok. It is the first major lawsuit in Italy directly challenging how social media platforms and their recommendation systems affect minors.

The families are calling for stricter age controls, clearer warnings about mental health risks, and greater transparency about how algorithms decide what content young users see.

Their lawyer, Stefano Commodo, argues that the issue is not simply social media itself, but the design of the platforms. He says the systems are built to maximize engagement — even if that means repeatedly exposing vulnerable teenagers to harmful content.

Meta and TikTok both strongly reject the allegations. Meta says it has introduced tools such as “Teen Accounts” and safety filters designed to limit exposure to risky material. A spokesperson said the company is committed to protecting young users and disagrees with claims that its platforms are inherently harmful.

TikTok, meanwhile, says it removes the vast majority of content that violates its rules and actively promotes safety tools, including restrictions on sensitive searches and links to mental health support resources.

Both companies also emphasize that teenage mental health is influenced by many factors beyond social media, including family environment, education, and offline experiences.

“A sudden illness”

For Irene, the changes in her daughter felt like something almost invisible taking control.

She describes Rossella’s decline as a “sudden illness” — one that seemed to accelerate without warning once it entered the digital space.

“Without the algorithm,” she said quietly, “maybe her distress would have unfolded differently. More naturally. More slowly. And perhaps we would have had time to understand.”

Growing global concern

The Italian lawsuit comes at a time of mounting global scrutiny over social media and its impact on young people. Several countries are tightening regulations, with the United Kingdom recently announcing plans to restrict social media use for children under 16.

In the United States, courts have also begun examining whether major tech companies bear responsibility for harms linked to platform design. Meanwhile, the European Union is increasing enforcement of digital rules requiring stronger protections for minors.

Health organizations are also warning of risks. The World Health Organization has highlighted links between excessive social media use and sleep disruption, anxiety, and reduced well-being among adolescents.

Some researchers argue that social media platforms may trigger addictive behavioral patterns through constant notifications, likes, and algorithm-driven recommendations that keep users engaged for longer periods.

The struggle of modern parenting

For many parents, however, keeping children safe online feels like an impossible task.

Experts and family groups involved in the case say that even strict controls can be bypassed, and that teenagers often find ways around restrictions using multiple devices or accounts.

“Monitoring social media is like a full-time job,” said Valentina Muraglie, who works with a large families’ association in Italy. “It’s not realistic for most parents.”

Others, including psychologists, caution against blaming technology alone. Some argue that adolescent mental health is complex and that over-control may not be the answer.

“The healthiest approach is trust,” said Dr. Federico Tonioni of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. “Young people need to be listened to, not just monitored.”

A mother’s mission

Despite the pain of her loss, Irene Roggero Ugues says she joined the lawsuit for one reason: awareness.

She hopes that by speaking out, other parents may recognize risks she believes she did not understand in time.

“We underestimated certain dangers,” she said. “But others can still act. There is no point in keeping this to myself. And I don’t think Rossella would mind.”

As the legal battle moves forward, her daughter’s story has become part of a much larger global debate — one that asks how far technology should go in shaping the minds of its youngest users, and who should be held responsible when things go wrong.