If your child suffered from an eating disorder (e.g., anorexia, bulimia, etc.) after using social media platforms, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a social media eating disorder lawsuit case or settlement claim.
A team of product injury attorneys and class action lawyers is investigating potential lawsuit and settlement cases of parents and families who claim their children or teens suffered from an eating disorder (e.g., anorexia, bulimia, etc.) after becoming addicted to using social media platforms.
Eating disorders are serious life-threatening mental and physical illnesses that can cause severe disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors and associated thoughts and emotions. If not treated effectively, eating disorders can cause serious damage including, in some cases, death.
Eating disorders affect millions of people and most often develop in adolescence and young adulthood. Eating disorders are the third most diagnosed chronic illness in teens. According to the National Institute of Health, the lifetime prevalence of eating disorders among all U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 18 years is 2.7% (among females, it is even higher at 3.8%).
Social Media Eating Disorder Lawsuits
Social media eating disorder lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims involving children who, after using social media, suffered from an eating disorder, including:
- Eating disorder
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge eating disorder
- Other eating disorders
- Other mental health issues
- Death
- Other social media injury lawsuits
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight for height and age, an intense fear of gaining weight, self-starvation and a distorted perception of weight, among other things.
Bulimia nervosa is a type of eating disorder characterized by a person eating large amounts of food at one time (binging or binge eating) and then eliminating or getting rid of it (purging) by vomiting, using laxatives, excessive exercise, or fasting, etc.
Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurring episodes of binge eating large quantities of food (usually very quickly) often accompanied by a feeling of a loss of control over eating. Unlike bulimia, the binge eating is not followed by purging.
Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Potential signs and symptoms of an eating disorders can vary depending on the type of eating disorder. For example, signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa can include:
- Extreme weight loss
- Thin appearance (emaciation)
- Eating very little
- Starving oneself
- Restricting food intake through diet or fasting
- Skipping meals or refusing to eat
- Eating only a few “safe” foods (low in fat and calories)
- Restrictions against food categories (e.g., no carbs, etc.)
- Preoccupation with food
- Rigid meal or eating rituals
- Denying that one is hungry
- Not wanting to eat out in public
- Eating in secret
- Making excuses for not eating
- Lying about food intake
- Intensive and excessive exercise
- Extreme thinness
- Intense fear of weight gain
- Distorted body image
- Seeing oneself as overweight when underweight
- Complaining about being fat
- Constantly wanting to weigh oneself
- Wearing layers of clothing to hide body
- Dressing in baggy clothes
- Frequent checking in the mirror
- Absence of menstruation
- Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
- Hair growth on body (lanugo)
- Lack of emotion
- Mood swings
- Feeling cold
- Low blood pressure
- Slow pulse
- Dehydration
- Difficulties concentrating
- Abnormal blood counts
- Fainting or syncope
- Insomnia
- Withdrawing from social activities
- Other anorexia signs or symptoms
Signs and symptoms of binge-eating can include:
- Eating lots of food in a short period of time
- Overeating
- Eating even though not hungry
- Eating very quickly
- Eating until uncomfortably full
- Eating alone or in secret
- Hoarding food
- Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about eating
- Feeling like can’t stop eating
- Other binge eating signs or symptoms
Signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa can include:
- Eating large meals
- Self-induced vomiting after meals
- Secretly disappearing after meals
- Going to the bathroom after or during meals
- Going to the washroom for long periods of time
- Excessive exercising after eating
- Fasting between binges
- Use of diuretics, laxatives or enemas after eating
- Use of dietary supplement for weight loss
- Skipping meals
- Normal or above average body weight
- Chronically inflamed and sore throat
- Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area
- Damage teeth or gums
- Tooth enamel erosion
- Sensitive teeth
- Decaying teeth
- Sores, cuts or callused knuckles or hands
- Other gastrointestinal problems
- Severe dehydration from purging
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Swollen hands or feet
- Fear of gaining weight
- Having a negative body image
- Other bulimia signs or symptoms
Eating Disorder Complications
Eating disorder complications can include:
- Thinning of the bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
- Anemia
- Muscle weakness
- Hair growth all over the body (lanugo)
- Cardiovascular issues
- Heart failure
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Irregular heartbeat
- Kidney failure
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Slowed digestion (gastroparesis)
- Intestinal obstruction or perforation
- Stomach rupture
- Esophagus rupture
- Diabetes
- Neurological issues
- Endocrine issues
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Dental problems
- Infertility
- Substance abuse
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Personality disorder
- Salivary gland hypertrophy (sialadenosis)
- Mallory-Weiss syndrome
- GERD or acid reflux
- Laryngopharyngeal reflux
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
- Inability of lower esophageal muscles to relax (achalasia)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Inflammation of pancreas (pancreatitis)
- Bacterial infections
- Multiorgan failure
- Difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep
- Brain damage
- Starvation
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Suicide attempts
- Death
Eating Disorder Treatments
Treatment for eating disorders can include individual, group or family psychotherapy, nutrition counseling, medication (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, or mood stabilizers) and other medical care.
Time Is Limited To File An Eating Disorder Lawsuit
Deadlines known as statutes of limitation and statutes of repose may limit the time that families have to file a lawsuit to try to recover compensation for eating disorder-related injury or death potentially caused by social media use.
This means that if a social media eating disorder lawsuit case is not filed before the applicable deadline or limitations period, the claimant may be barred from ever pursuing litigation or taking legal action regarding the social media eating disorder injury claim. That is why it is important to connect with a social media eating disorder injury lawyer or attorney as soon as possible.
If your child suffered from an eating disorder (e.g., anorexia, bulimia, etc.) after becoming addicted to social media, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a social media teen eating disorder lawsuit or settlement. Contact an injury lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or a loved one are experiencing health issues, side effects or complications from a product/service, we urge you to promptly consult with your doctor or physician for an evaluation. If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, we also urge you to contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or Text TALK to 741741.
**The listing of a company (e.g., Meta Platforms, Instagram, Snap, TikTok, ByteDance, YouTube, Google and Alphabet, etc.) or product/service (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, YouTube, etc.) is not meant to state or imply that the company acted illegally or improperly or that the product/service is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product/service identification and/or informational purposes.
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