Tragedy Blamed on Social Media: Mother’s Heartbreaking StoryTragedy Blamed on Social Media: Mother’s Heartbreaking Story In the wake of her 11-year-old daughter, Selena’s, suicide three years ago, Tammy Rodriguez is sharing her pain to raise awareness about the devastating effects of social media addiction among youth. Selena, once a vibrant and talented girl, succumbed to the pressures and dangers lurking within these online platforms. Rodriguez believes that social media addiction played a pivotal role in her daughter’s tragic demise. Selena’s engagement with technology began at a tender age of 7. Initially, it was innocent entertainment through videos. However, as she grew older, her relationship with social media transformed into an obsession, particularly with TikTok. Rodriguez claims that Selena would sneakily create new accounts to circumvent her mother’s restrictions. The consequences of this addiction were severe, including violence towards her sister and an eating disorder. Selena became entirely dependent on her devices and displayed signs of isolation and sleep deprivation. To Rodriguez’s horror, she discovered that Selena had been cyberbullied and contacted by predatory adult men through social media. The realization that her daughter was being exploited and terrorized sent shockwaves through the family. In July 2021, Selena made the unthinkable decision to end her life. Rodriguez believes that social media addiction played a significant role in her daughter’s mental health crisis and subsequent suicide. Experts acknowledge that social media addiction has become a prevalent and serious issue among youth. Studies indicate that a substantial percentage of teenagers are constantly connected and admit to being addicted. Dr. Adam Scioli, Chief Medical Officer at Caron Treatment Centers, explains that social media addiction shares similarities with substance use disorders, leading to a progressive and potentially fatal outcome. The onset may appear innocent, but the consequences can be devastating, including mental health symptoms and suicide. Scioli emphasizes that the vulnerability of young people to these platforms stems from their developing brains, susceptible to disruption by social media or substance abuse. In response to the growing concerns, US Surgeon General Vivek Hallegere Murthy advocates for mandatory warning labels on social media platforms to highlight their potential harm to teens’ mental health. Rodriguez and other grieving mothers have confronted tech giants, demanding accountability. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, apologized for the company’s role in the tragedy, while the Rodriguez family has filed lawsuits against Meta and Snapchat. Parents are advised to limit screen time and monitor their children for signs of addiction, such as isolation, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. Florida recently enacted a law prohibiting access to social media for minors under 14. If you or a loved one is struggling with emotional distress or suicidal thoughts, remember that there is hope and support available. Reach out for help by calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 9-8-8.
Nearly three years after an 11-year-old girl committed suicide, her mother is speaking out about the dangers of social media, which she blames for the tragedy.
Tammy Rodriguez, whose daughter Selena committed suicide in July 2021, recently spoke to NBC6 to share her daughter’s dark story in hopes of providing light for others.
“It’s been two and a half years; July will be three years. And you know it’s hard; it’s really hard,” Rodriguez said. “Every day is different; you don’t know where your emotions are going to be. You don’t know what your trigger is.”
Rodriguez, of Connecticut, said her daughter used to be a temperamental person, adding that she “shone on stage when she danced; she lit up a room.”
Selena’s relationship with technology began when she was about 7 years old. She was doing what other kids her age were doing: watching videos on a tablet.
“As she got a little older, I finally got her a phone, and at first it was just the games and the videos, but then you start to see a change… she wanted TikTok, which I only let her have to save the videos as drafts, because she loved dancing; that was one of her big things; she would do that and she would save it (as a draft),” Rodriguez said. “But then she started sneaking around and starting posting the stuff.”
Rodriguez claims her daughter became violent and even attacked her sister when her phone was taken away.
“She barely slept; she didn’t eat… she developed an eating disorder; basically everything in her world depended on those devices. She didn’t want to go anywhere if she couldn’t take it with her,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez became concerned and even thought she had access to Selena’s account, but her daughter kept creating new accounts.
Selena’s family found out she was being bullied at school after photos Selena sent via Snapchat were leaked to her classmates. They would later learn that adult men had even contacted her via social media.
“We found out that she was being approached by men, adult men, who were then getting pictures of her and exploiting her,” Rodriguez said. “I had no idea that was going on and I think that was even bigger than the bullying.”
Selena tragically committed suicide in July 2021.
“It’s horrible. It’s something you would never imagine could ever happen in your world,” Rodriguez told NBC6.
When you hear the word “addiction,” you might think of drugs, alcohol or gambling, but experts say social media addiction has become a real problem and even a disease.
“Part of that is recognizing that addiction is a brain disease; it’s a chronic, progressive, potentially fatal process that is manageable,” explained Dr. Adam Scioli, Chief Medical Officer at Caron Treatment Centers.
Selena is just one of many examples of children addicted to social media.
According to the National Institute of Health, 24% of teens say they are “constantly connected,” and half of them admit to being “addicted.”
“Unfortunately, it can get extremely dark. I mean, it’s not an exaggeration to compare this to any other substance use disorder where you have an onset that’s seemingly innocent … It doesn’t seem risky,” Scioli said. “On the other end of the spectrum, being terrorized or bullied by someone who doesn’t like what you’ve posted … both of those experiences can lead to a number of mental health symptoms and certainly a mental health crisis, which can lead to and including suicide.”
Scioli said the reason teens are so vulnerable to these platforms is because human brains develop until the person is 20 to 25 years old. It’s a process called “pruning,” and social media or substance abuse can disrupt that development.
US Surgeon General Vivek Hallegere Murthy is calling on Congress to mandate warning labels on social media platforms, saying they “can harm the mental health of teens.”
Rodriguez was one of many mothers who shared their grief in Congress and with the founders of various social media platforms, demanding accountability.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, was among those who appeared before lawmakers.
“Mr. Zuckerberg… you and the companies before us — I know you don’t mean to do this — but you have blood on your hands,” said Senator Lindsey Graham.
“It’s terrible,” Zuckerberg said. “That’s why we’re investing so much and continuing to do industry-leading efforts.”
“It was a horrible apology… that was no apology for me. I had my one moment where I could look him in the eye and I held up her picture. I don’t know if he cared, but it was important to me to hold her picture up there and show him who we lost because of their product,” Rodriguez said.
The Rodriguez family has sued the companies Meta and Snapchat, alleging that Meta invests millions of dollars in intentionally designing addictive, unsafe and harmful social networks to improve the health of children and adolescents.
“We want to assure every parent that we take their interests seriously as we work to provide a safe online experience for teens. We’ve developed more than 30 tools and features, including ways for parents to limit the time their children spend on our apps, age-verification technology, automatic throttling so that minors under 16 don’t receive messages from people they don’t follow, and sending notifications that encourage teens to take regular breaks,” Meta said in response to the lawsuit.
“While we cannot share specifics about this ongoing lawsuit, nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our community. We work closely with many mental health organizations to provide in-app tools and resources for Snapchat users as part of our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe,” Snapchat said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a law banning minors under the age of 14 from accessing social media platforms.
Scioli advises parents to limit screen time and watch for signs such as isolation, mood swings and lack of sleep.
If you or a loved one is experiencing emotional distress or struggles, you can make a difference and provide the help they need by calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 9-8-8.
