New York City will sue the companies that own TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, accusing the social media platforms of causing a spike in mental health problems among young people, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court, aims to cover the costs of addressing what city officials consider a public health threat and force companies to change their practices. Adams’ office said the city currently spends more than $100 million a year on youth mental health programs, but the complaint does not specify how much damages the administration is seeking. Not yet.
“Instead of learning confidence and resilience, they are often exposed to content that leads to anxiety and depression,” Adams said at a news conference. “The ability for young people to keep clicking in the dark corners of social media is fueling an alarming rise in online bullying, depression, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts.”
The percentage of New York City students who reported feeling sad or hopeless or considering self-harm increased from 2011 to 2021, according to a report released by the New York City Department of Health. , LGBTQ students were more likely to be affected. Department in November. According to the report, nearly 40% of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless in the past year that they stopped engaging in normal activities.
The lawsuit links these numbers to social media use, finding that in 2021, more than three-quarters of the city’s high school students “spent an average of at least three hours a day in front of a screen.” Points out what was said. [time] I spent my time studying at school. ”
“Borrowing heavily from behavioral and neurobiological techniques used in slot machines and exploited by the tobacco industry, the defendants aimed to maximize youth engagement to drive advertising revenue. “intentionally embedded a series of design features into its platform,” the complaint states. “Instead of feeding coins into slot machines, these children are feeding defendant’s platform with endless amounts of attention, time, and data.”
Google, which owns YouTube, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said in a statement that the platform has safeguards in place to support the health of teenagers, including age restrictions and parental controls.
“We regularly partner with experts to understand emerging best practices and remain committed to keeping our community safe by addressing industry-wide challenges,” he said.
A spokesperson for Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook, said the company offers multiple tools and features to help teens have a “safe and age-appropriate online experience.”
“We have spent 10 years tackling these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online,” a spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Snap, which owns Snapchat, said the app was “intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media.”
“Rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling, Snapchat provides direct access to the camera, and there are no traditional public likes or comments,” a spokesperson said. “While we always have more work to do, we are pleased with the role Snapchat plays in helping our closest friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence. I am.”
Adams on Wednesday also referenced last month’s State of the City address, in which the city announced the creation of “the largest student mental health program in the country,” including telemedicine, community-based counseling and daily breathing exercises for high school students. talked about his plans. . In his speech, Adams said the city’s health commissioner called social media a “public health policy” because of its “addictive and dangerous features” such as algorithms and game-like designs that keep users on the platform. It was announced that it would be designated as a “critically dangerous substance.”
“We know these platforms are designed with addictive and dangerous features that exploit children’s natural interest in novelty and play,” the mayor said at the time. “Social, lookalikes, trophies, streaks, etc. on these platforms are designed to manipulate dopamine release in the brain.”
The New York City Department of Education is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, joining hundreds of other school districts across the country that have similarly sued social media platforms over children’s mental health issues. In response to the massive lawsuit, TikTok changed its terms of service in the United States to require legal claims to be filed in one of two courts in California.
Last month, New York Governor Cathy Hochul also announced her intention to work to limit the harm social media can cause to children’s mental health. Her comments were part of a larger push by state officials, including Attorney General Letitia James, to regulate minors’ social media interactions and tech companies’ data collection practices.
This story has been updated with comment from Snap.
