New York City Mayor Eric Adams has initiated legal action against the parent companies of major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube. The lawsuit, filed in California, alleges that Meta, Snap, ByteDance, and Google knowingly designed, marketed, and operated their platforms to attract and addict youth, contributing to negative mental health consequences. The plaintiffs, comprising the city, school district, and health organizations, claim violations of city laws related to public nuisance and gross negligence. They assert that the addictive nature of these platforms has severely impacted New York’s school districts and various health and social services.
The legal action contends that the tech companies’ products have violated laws by attracting young users with minimal parental oversight and fostering addictive behavior. Mayor Adams emphasized the harmful impact of the online world on children, exposing them to continuous harmful content and contributing to a national youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit seeks accountability from the tech giants, holding them responsible for their role in exacerbating mental health issues among the youth. This legal move follows a similar litigation filed in 2022 in the Northern District of California against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Alphabet, with claims that their products maximize screen time and lead to emotional and physical harms, including death.
