A bizarre and frankly disturbing case of hyper-personalized advertising recently landed a woman in the hospital after she mistook an ad displayed on her smart fridge for a sign of a psychotic episode. This whole situation is a nightmare scenario for anyone who worries about how deeply integrated ads are becoming in our daily lives, and the internet is absolutely ripping into the company responsible for allowing this kind of messaging on a home appliance.
The details of the incident came out when a concerned relative posted on the r/LegalAdviceUK subreddit looking for guidance. The Redditor explained that their sister, whom they call Carol, lives with schizophrenia and had recognized the early symptoms of a worsening episode. She believed messages were coming through her refrigerator screen and voluntarily admitted herself to the hospital for monitoring.
Carol spent two days under doctor supervision, where her medication was adjusted. Once she was stable, she was released and returned home. The Redditor finally figured out what happened when they saw a screenshot of the same ad while scrolling through Facebook. This wasn’t some generic pop-up. The ad was set against a creepy yellow background and featured the incredibly ominous text: “WE’RE SORRY WE UPSET YOU, CAROL.”
This level of targeted advertising is just too much
It turns out this highly specific ad campaign was promoting Pluribus, the latest television series from Vince Gilligan for Apple TV. The show focuses on a single character, and that character’s name is Carol. I understand wanting to create immersive, unconventional marketing, but using smart home appliances to deliver personalized, unsettling messages crosses a serious ethical line.
The Redditor was understandably frustrated and asked the community whether running such eerie personalized ads on home appliances was even legal in the U.K., especially when someone with a mental health condition could easily misunderstand them. The response was immediate, with commenters offering both legal advice and genuine empathy. Many people suggested filing a complaint with the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority, which is probably the best approach 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
One Redditor, u/Normal_Trust3562, weighed in, acknowledging the legality of the ads but offering a strong word of caution. They wrote, “Yes. It’s legal. But your poor sister, I can only imagine how scary it was for her :( As someone with a family member who suffers the same, get her a basic fridge with no screens or internet on. It’s too much, life is a lot more peaceful without being bombarded with adverts on your bloody fridge anyway.”
The whole situation highlights the absolute dangers of merging marketing with intimate home technology, especially with the advent of AI giving you medical advice and surveillance run by the likes of Walmart to monitor your pruchasing behavior. It’s a chilling reminder that when you introduce screens into devices that should just keep your milk cold, you’re opening the door to invasive advertising that can have very real, negative consequences.
Published: Dec 9, 2025 04:30 pm