NYC sues TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube over youth mental health crisis
10:03 PM EST, February 15, 2024
New York City has filed a lawsuit against several social media companies, claiming that the design of their platforms negatively impacts the mental health of young users, leading to an annual expenditure of $100 million by the city on related health programs and service - report CNN.
High costs of using social media
According to NYC.gov (The Official Website of the City of New York), "the city spends more than $100 million on youth mental health programs and services each year".
"Over the past decade, we have seen just how addictive and overwhelming the online world can be, exposing our children to a non-stop stream of harmful content and fueling our national youth mental health crisis (...) Our city is built on innovation and technology, but many social media platforms end up endangering our children's mental health, promoting addiction, and encouraging unsafe behavior. 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 - said Mayor Adams during press conference.
NYC holds tech giants accountable
New York City announced its intention to pursue financial compensation and equitable remedies to finance educational initiatives on prevention and mental health care treatment.
"Social media companies like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Meta are fueling a national youth mental health crisis (...) These companies have chosen profit over the well-being of children by intentionally designing their platforms with manipulative and addictive features and using harmful algorithms targeted to young people. Social media companies should be held accountable for this misconduct and for the harms they cause to our children, schools, and entire communities - said Corporation Counsel Hinds-Radix..
Source: NYC.gov, CNN
