New York City takes on social media over mental health crisis

New York City has filed a landmark lawsuit against major social media platforms, accusing them of exacerbating the mental health crisis among young people.

Corporate Counsel Sylvia Hines-Radix emphasized the city’s position in a statement released by the Ministry of Justice.

“Social media companies like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Meta are fueling a national youth mental health crisis,” said corporate general counsel Hines Radix. “These companies chose profit over the well-being of children by intentionally designing platforms with manipulative and addictive features and using harmful algorithms targeted at young people. Social media companies must be held accountable for this illegal activity and the harm it causes to children, schools, and entire communities.”

New York City, along with the Department of Education (DOE) and New York City Health and Hospitals (H+H), filed suit against the operators of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube.

The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court, accuses these social media giants of contributing to the mental health crisis among young people through the intentional design of their platforms. The lawsuit alleges that these companies use algorithms, addictive app mechanics, and user manipulation tactics to encourage compulsive use among children and teens and cause serious mental health problems. It is claimed that there is.

The city claims this has become a public nuisance, affecting schools, hospitals and the broader community, and forcing the city to allocate significant resources to deal with the crisis. Data cited in the lawsuit highlights widespread feelings of sadness and hopelessness among New York City high school students, and stark disparities by race and gender. The widespread and continued use of social media among teens across the country has also been noted, with many expressing difficulty reducing screen time.