
- Recently found out an old friend committed suicide update#
- Recently found out an old friend committed suicide free#
Some families are now also taking matters into their own hands and turning to the courts to pressure the tech companies to change how their platforms work. President Joe Biden also used part of his State of the Union address to urge lawmakers to “hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.” A bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate in February that proposes new and explicit responsibilities for tech platforms to protect children from digital harm. Haugen’s disclosures and Congressional testimony renewed scrutiny of tech platforms from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

His parents allege his social media addiction contributed to his death. “How dare you put a product out there knowing that it was going to be addictive? Who would ever do that?”ĬJ Dawley died by suicide at the age of 17. “For seven years, we were trying to figure out what happened,” said Donna Dawley, adding she felt compelled to “hold the companies accountable” after she heard how Instagram is designed to keep users on the platform for as long as possible. (Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a 1,300-word post on Facebook at the time claiming Haugen took the company’s research on its impact on children out of context and painted a “false picture of the company.”) In public remarks, including her testimony before Congress last fall, Haugen also raised concerns about how Facebook’s algorithms could drive younger users toward harmful content, such as posts about eating disorders or self-harm, and lead to social media addiction. They said they were motivated to file the lawsuit against Meta and Snap after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked hundreds of internal documents, including some that showed the company was aware of the ways Instagram can damage mental health and body image. The lawsuit also said the platforms effectively exploit minor users’ decision-making and impulse control capabilities due to “incomplete brain development.”ĭonna Dawley said she and her husband, Chris, believe CJ’s mental health suffered as a direct result of the addictive nature of the platforms. The suit accuses the two companies of designing their platforms to addict users with algorithms that lead to “never-ending” scrolling as part of an effort to maximize time spent on the platform for advertising purposes and profit. The Dawleys’ lawsuit, which was filed last week, targets Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Now, the Dawleys are joining a growing number of families who have filed recent wrongful death lawsuits against some of the big social media companies, claiming their platforms played a significant role in their teenagers’ decisions to end their lives. "For seven years, we were trying to figure out what happened," said Donna Dawley, the mother of CJ. “He was so addicted to it that even his last moments of his life were about posting on social media.” “When we found him, his phone was still on, still in his hand, with blood on it,” Donna Dawley said. His parents said he never showed outward signs of depression or suicidal ideation. Police found a suicide note written on the envelope of a college acceptance letter.
Recently found out an old friend committed suicide update#
He sent a text message to his best friend – “God’s speed” – and posted an update on his Facebook page: “Who turned out the light?” CJ held a 22-caliber rifle in one hand, his smartphone in the other and fatally shot himself. On January 4, 2015, while his family was taking down their Christmas tree and decorations, CJ retreated into his room. He became sleep deprived and obsessed with his body image.

on Instagram messaging with others, sometimes swapping nude photos, his mother said. By his senior year, “he couldn’t stop looking at his phone,” she said.
Recently found out an old friend committed suicide free#
“His counselor said he could get a free ride anywhere he wanted to go,” his mother Donna Dawley told CNN Business during a recent interview at the family’s home.īut throughout high school, he developed what his parents felt was an addiction to social media. He loved playing golf, watching “Doctor Who” and was highly sought after by top-tier colleges. Like many teenagers, he documented his life on those platforms.ĬJ worked as a busboy at Texas Roadhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Christopher James Dawley, known as CJ to his friends and family, was 14 years old when he signed up for Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
