New York City and its schools and public hospital system announced a lawsuit against the tech giant that operates Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Matt Cardy—Getty Images
New York City, its schools and public hospital system announced Wednesday that it will file a lawsuit against the big tech companies that operate Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, calling out their “addictive and dangerous” ” accused social media platforms of stirring up chaos and fueling a children’s mental health crisis. Learning and resource depletion.
Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable because their brains are not fully developed, according to the complaint.
“Young people are now addicted to Defendants’ platforms in droves,” according to a 311-page filing in California Superior Court, where the companies are headquartered.
The country’s largest school district, which has about 1 million students, is responding to disruptions in and out of the classroom, offering counseling for anxiety and depression, and offering curriculum on the effects of social media and how to stay safe online. It was necessary to develop it. filing. According to Mayor Eric Adams’ office, the city spends more than $100 million each year on youth mental health programs and services.
“Over the past decade, we have witnessed how addictive and overwhelming the online world has become, exposing children to a constant stream of harmful content and fueling a national youth mental health crisis. “There is,” Adams said.
The case joins a number of lawsuits filed by states, school districts and others alleging that social media companies exploit children and teenagers by designing features that force them to scroll endlessly or check their accounts. This is the latest one.
Teens know they’re spending too much time on social media, according to a new lawsuit filed by New York City, the Department of Education, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the nation’s largest public hospital system. He says he has no power to stop it. .
The lawsuit seeks to declare the companies’ actions a public nuisance, seek abatement, and seek unspecified monetary damages.
In response to the filing, the tech companies said they have developed and implemented, and will continue to develop and implement, policies and controls that focus on user safety.
Jose Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, YouTube’s parent company, said in an email that “the allegations in this complaint are completely untrue” and that the company is working with youth, mental health and parenting experts. mentioned in.
A TikTok spokesperson cited similar regular collaborations to understand best practices in the face of industry-wide challenges.
“TikTok has industry-leading safeguards to support healthy lives for teens, including age restrictions, parental controls, and an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18.” said the emailed statement.
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly all teenagers in the United States use social media, with about one in six teens saying they use YouTube and TikTok “almost constantly.”
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns and operates Facebook and Instagram, said the company “wants teens to have a safe and age-appropriate experience online, and we want to help them and their parents. We have over 30 tools and features to support you.” We’ve spent his decade tackling these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online. ”
A statement from Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., said its app has “direct access to the camera, rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling, and lacks traditional public likes and likes.” He said it is intentionally different from other apps in several ways. comment. ”
“We always have so much work to do, but Snapchat plays a role in helping close friends connect, feel happy, and feel prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.” I am satisfied with my role,” he said in a statement.
