Woman with schizophrenia hospitalized after seeing an advert on Samsung smart fridge

A Reddit post from the UK has become a hot topic after a family claimed a Samsung smart fridge advertisement played a role in their relative being hospitalized during a psychotic episode. The post, which can be viewed on r/LegalAdviceUK, details how a woman living with schizophrenia became convinced that someone was communicating with her through the fridge’s display after seeing a message that read: "We're sorry we upset you, Carol."

The woman's name is Carol. According to her sibling, who wrote the post, she believed the message was directly targeting her. The incident reportedly pushed her into a state of paranoia severe enough that she booked a taxi and admitted herself to emergency psychiatric care. It was only days later that her family discovered the message was actually part of a promotional advert for an Apple TV+ show (Pluribus), automatically pushed to the refrigerator’s Family Hub screen.

The sibling described how unsettling it was to stumble upon the ad while scrolling online, where they recognized the message instantly. After sending a screenshot to Carol for confirmation, she replied that it was the exact wording she had seen. That particular discovery raised an immediate question for the family: why should a household appliance display emotionally charged advertising messages at all, and without any context indicating that it is an ad?

The post prompted hundreds of responses. Most of them were sympathetic, while some were straight-up anger-fueled comments directed at Samsung and modern smart-device practices. Some people suggested filing a complaint with the UK Advertising Standards Authority. They added that while individual ads can be disabled, ads placed in intimate household settings should avoid language that could easily be misinterpreted or mistaken for personal messaging.

For Carol’s family, the commercial was more than just an annoyance. This incident does raise a very important question though: where is the line between "connected convenience" and invasive advertising, and who pays the price when it is crossed?

You can read more about ads on Samsung's smart refrigerators here.

My schizophrenic sister hospitalised herself because she throught she was having a psychotic episode where someone was attempting to communciate with her through her fridge. Turns out it was an advert on the LED screen.
byu/Fun-Blueberry-2147 inLegalAdviceUK