Within a few months, Irene Rogero Hugos saw her 12-year-old daughter, Rochela's behavior change dramatically, as social networking platforms increasingly suggested content about self-injury and depression. Five months later, the girl ended his life. Today, her parents participate in a collective lawsuit against Meta and TikTok companies, accusing platforms of not sufficiently protecting minors.
The family tragedy from the city of Asti, northern Italy is at the heart of one of the most important judicial cases that have moved in the country against social media.
After the death of their daughter, the parents managed to gain access to her electronic devices and found that Rochela used social networks much more than they knew. Among the findings was a secret account on Instagram named "Just a dead pers0n" ("Just a dead man"), where the letter "the" had been replaced by the zero number.
Rossella Ugues’ parents are among a number of families in Italy that have browuit against Instagram-and-Facebook-wner Meta, and its biggest social media river TikTok. In the first collective action in Italy to directly challenge social media companies and their... — Reuters (@Reuters) June 17, 2026
According to parents, in September 2023 Rochela began to seek content about depression, which reflected her feelings. As they argue, the platforms algorithms continued to suggest similar material to her, creating a vicious cycle that enhanced her mental burden.
"Sometime it was like (this content) having his own life. She grew up constantly until she covered her happy and social side, the bright part of her character," her mother told Reuters.
Parents Irene Roggero Ugues and her husband are suing Instagram-and-Facebook-wner Meta and TikTok after their daughter Rossella divided by suicide, alleging social media algorithms fed her self-harm content.
More Here → https://t.co/v23JoiZHL5 pic.twitter. com/d5nsDGZ5Ix— PiQ Newswire (@PiQNewswire) June 17, 2026
The family is among several Italian families who have appealed to Justice against Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok. This is the first collective lawsuit in Italy to directly challenge the way the algorithms of social networks operate.
The plaintiffs call for stricter restrictions on access to platforms by minors and greater awareness of potential risks for families.
Meta rejects charges and talks about "Teen Accounts"For its part, Meta rejects the claims that its services harm young people. A representative of the company stated that the protection of teenagers is a priority and referred to the special accounts "Teen Accounts" and the built-in safety dilemmas.
"We know that parents are concerned about the safety of their children online and that’s why we continue to move on to changes that enhance the protection of teenagers," the company said.
Similarly, TikTok argues that it strictly applies its rules to protect users' mental health and removes more than 99% of the content that violates the relevant policies.
The company also notes that it invests in mechanisms that differentiate the proposed content, exclude potentially dangerous searches and connect vulnerable users to support services and suicide prevention lines.
Asked specifically about Rochela's case, Meta refused to comment due to the pending court proceedings. The company argued that the mental health of young people is affected by many factors and that the role of social networks depends on how they are used, security measures implemented and parental participation.
Sudden and destructive "disease"Rosella's mother describes the development of the situation as a sudden and destructive "disease" that left parents helpless.
"Without the algorithm, the evolution of her mental distress – or psychosis, or whatever it was that I still can't define – perhaps she had taken a more natural course," she said.
The case comes at a time when control of digital platforms is intensifying throughout Europe. Britain announced plans this week to ban the use of social networks by children under the age of 16, while in the United States a court ruling ruled that Meta and Google showed negligence in designing platforms considered harmful to young people.
At the same time, European regulatory authorities strengthen the implementation of the Digital Services Regulation (DSA), by pushing platforms to take more effective measures to protect minors.
"The goal is not to question the benefits of social networks, but to eliminate technological and commercial mechanisms that make them dangerous to the most vulnerable users," said lawyer Stefano Komodo, who leads the case along with the Italian parent union MOIGE.
The existing measures are not enough, families say Families involved in the lawsuit argue that existing security measures are not sufficient, as children can easily find instructions online to bypass filters and time constraints.
"Monitoring the use of social networks is a full-time job. It would require parents to devote all their time to it, which is simply impossible," said Valentina Muralie, a member of the administration of Italy's Multi-Tecnic Families Association.
The World Health Organization has warned that the problematic use of social networks, which often presents features of dependence, is growing among teenagers and is associated with lower levels of well-being, sleep problems and wider health risks.
Studies published in the JAMA Pediatrics scientific journal record measurable differences in brain development among teenagers who intensively use social networks, especially at ages where the brain continues to develop.
The lawsuit argues that platforms use loyalty mechanisms similar to those of electronic gambling, causing repeated dopamine secretions, substance associated with pleasure and reward.
"Every ‘I like’ or notice causes dopamine release, linking the user to the platform in a way that looks like an addiction," said psychiatrist Tonino Candelmi, counsel of the plaintiffs and director of the Faculty of Specialization in Knowledge-Interpersonal Psychotherapy in Rome.
Other experts, however, appear more cautious. Federico Tonioni, head of the Internet Psychopathology Centre at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, argued that it is not possible to simply draw conclusions about the impact of social networks on teenagers.
"The healthiest approach is to accept that we are not fully prepared to deal with the phenomenon," he said, adding that he cannot say for sure that his patients would suffer less in a world without social networks. He also warned about the dangers of excessive parental supervision. "If there is something dangerous, this is the ultimate control of children. Young people need to be listened to. Control is not a healthy form of presence. The healthiest distance is trust," he noted.