New York City is suing five major social media platforms, alleging the companies behind them are responsible for fueling a youth mental health crisis across the United States.
It lists Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc.’s Snapchat, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube as defendants, and alleges the companies behind the five widely used platforms intentionally manipulate younger users to ensure compulsive use of the apps.
“New York City, like other parts of this nation, is battling an unprecedented mental health crisis among its youth and serious disruption to the public health, fueled by [the] defendants’ creation and promotion of addictive and dangerous social media platforms,” the lawsuit states.
“Youth are now addicted to [the] defendants’ platforms in droves, resulting in substantial interference with school district operations and imposing a large burden on cities, school districts, and public hospital systems that provide mental health services to youth.”
The companies are alleged to be using various tactics and designs to purposefully manipulate and addict young users to the apps, including through algorithms, intermittent variable rewards, reciprocity, and more, because “children are financially lucrative.”
“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used in slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, [the] defendants deliberately embedded in their platforms an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit states.
Seeks to Hold Big Tech ‘Accountable’
The lawsuit claims that some of the platforms, such as Meta, attempt to shift the burden of protection from the platforms onto parents despite the company’s internal documents stating that it recognizes that “parents are largely ill-equipped to protect children from its platforms.”The lawsuit accuses the major tech companies of violating multiple city laws related to public nuisance, negligence, and gross negligence.
New York City officials also claim that the city has suffered a financial burden because of the social media companies’ actions and are thus seeking a jury trial, company behavior changes, and financial damages. The lawsuit doesn’t specify the exact amount sought.
“Ultimately, [the] defendants’ gross negligence caused or was a substantial factor in causing foreseeable harm to NYC plaintiffs and other economic losses in an amount to be proven at trial,” the lawsuit states.
“Today, we’re taking bold action on behalf of millions of New Yorkers to hold these companies accountable for their role in this crisis, and we’re building on our work to address this public health hazard. This lawsuit and action plan are part of a larger reckoning that will shape the lives of our young people, our city, and our society for years to come.”
According to the mayor’s office, New York City spends more than $100 million on youth mental health programs and services each year, even as the platforms reap “billions of dollars of profit at the cost of young people’s emotional, mental and physical health.”
Mr. Adams cited a recent study that found that young people in New York City are experiencing anxiety, hopelessness, and attempted suicide at “rates we have never seen before,” noting a growing body of evidence that suggests “the power of social media is a major cause.”
“This is a serious problem that must be addressed now,” he said.
Companies Respond
Along with the lawsuit against the five platforms, the mayor also unveiled a “social media action plan” for the city, which he said will provide education and support to young people and families amid the mental health crisis as well as study the long-term impacts of social media on youth.All five of the social media platforms issued statements after the lawsuit was announced, touting the various protections they have in place to ensure teenagers’ safety online.
“We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we have over 30 tools and features to support them and their parents. We’ve spent a decade working on these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Snap spokesperson said in a statement that the company’s app was “intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media, with a focus on helping Snapchatters communicate with their close friends.”
The spokesperson noted that unlike other apps, Snapchat opens directly to a camera as opposed to a “feed of content that encourages passive scrolling,” and that it also doesn’t have traditional public likes or comments.
“While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Google denied the allegations contained in the lawsuit.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience online has always been core to our work,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
