NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – New York City (NYC) has initiated legal proceedings by filing a lawsuit against major social media platforms, namely TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube. The suit alleges that these platforms deliberately contribute to a “nationwide youth mental health crisis” by deliberately engineering their systems to be addictive and harmful to the mental health of children and teenagers. The city, its school district, and health institutions are seeking accountability.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court, contends that these social media companies utilize algorithms that foster “compulsive use,” effectively keeping users engaged for extended periods. Furthermore, the platforms are accused of manipulating users through features such as automatic “seen” notifications and push notifications, encouraging constant engagement and immediate responses.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams underscored the profound impact of the online world on children, stating, “Over the past decade, we have seen just how addictive and overwhelming the online world can be, exposing our children to a non-stop stream of harmful content and fueling our national youth mental health crisis.”
City lawyer Sylvia Hinds-Radix said social media companies like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Meta “are fueling a national youth mental health crisis.”
“These companies have chosen profit over the well-being of children by intentionally designing their platforms with manipulative and addictive features and using harmful algorithms targeted to young people. Social media companies should be held accountable for this misconduct and the harm they cause to our children, schools, and entire communities,” Hinds-Radix said.
“Snapchat was intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media, focusing on helping Snapchatters communicate with their close friends. Snapchat opens directly to a camera – rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling – and has no traditional public likes or comments,” Ashley Adams, a Snap Inc. spokeswoman, was quoted by ABC News as saying.
A TikTok spokesperson mentioned age-restricted features, parental controls, and time limits to safeguard young users, telling ABC News, “We regularly partner with experts to understand emerging best practices and will continue to work to keep our community safe by tackling industry-wide challenges.”
José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said, “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience online has always been core to our work. In collaboration with youth, mental health, and parenting experts, we’ve built services and policies to give young people age-appropriate experiences and parents robust controls. The allegations in this complaint are simply not true.”
The city is pursuing financial compensation, citing resources allocated to address mental health issues among students, which it attributes in part to the influence of these social media platforms. The lawsuit is in its early stages, with the court set to assess the validity of the city’s claims and determine potential consequences for the social media companies.
Adams’ office said the city spends over $100 million on youth mental health programs and services annually. In a speech, he said, “We are filing litigation today demanding that companies be held accountable for their platform’s damage and influence on the mental health of our young people, and while seeking to recover the cost of addressing this ongoing public health threat as well.”
This legal action unfolds against the backdrop of increasing concerns about the impact of social media on mental health. The European Union (EU) is also contemplating a probe into TikTok over child safety concerns, adding to the regulatory scrutiny.
