Alex Martin develops life-threatening anorexia and attempts suicide after Instagram algorithm drives her to pro-eating-disorder content from age 14

Summary

Beginning in 2016 when she was approximately 14 years old, Alexandra 'Alex' Martin of Georgetown, Kentucky began using Instagram, which algorithmically directed her to pro-anorexia groups and social comparison content she had not sought out. Her Instagram usage increased as the algorithm fed her more disordered eating content, and her mental and physical health declined progressively. Her eating disorder became life-threatening, requiring multiple hospital stays and treatment facility admissions. She also made two suicide attempts. She eventually deleted her Instagram account entirely. Martin, then 19, was named as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center in 2022 against Meta, alleging Instagram's dangerous and defective product design caused her injuries.