By Frank Ulom
NEW YORK (CONVERSEER) – New York City has filed a sweeping lawsuit against several major social media companies, accusing them of deliberately designing their platforms to addict young users and fuel a growing mental health crisis among children and teenagers.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, names Meta Platforms (parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Snap, TikTok and its parent ByteDance, and Google and its subsidiary YouTube. It alleges that these companies have knowingly prioritised profit and user engagement over the wellbeing of young people.
“Youth are now addicted to Defendants’ platforms in droves, resulting in substantial interference with school district operations and imposing a large burden on cities, school districts and public hospital systems that provide mental health services to youth,” the 327-page complaint states.
Allegations of Negligence and Public Nuisance
The city, along with its public schools and public health system, argues that the companies have created a “public nuisance” by contributing to a youth mental health emergency. They accuse the firms of negligence for designing and marketing their platforms in ways that they “know are causing serious harm” to children.
The lawsuit claims that the platforms have triggered depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal behaviours among thousands of young users in New York City. “Defendants have created nothing short of a national crisis,” the plaintiffs wrote.
City officials argue that these harms have placed a significant strain on schools and health services, forcing public institutions to shoulder the costs of addressing mental health challenges exacerbated by constant social media use.
Previous Legal Action and Broader Context
New York City initially filed a similar lawsuit in California in February 2024, but later withdrew it to refile in New York, enabling the city to join multidistrict federal litigation involving other states and local governments.
A spokesperson for YouTube responded by distancing the platform from social networking, stating: “YouTube is a streaming service where people come to watch everything from live sports, to podcasts to their favourite creators, primarily on TV screens, not a social network where people go to catch up with friends.”
Meta declined to comment on the lawsuit. Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit comes amid increasing national scrutiny of how social media affects young people. Several U.S. states, including New York, have already taken legal action against companies like Meta and TikTok, accusing them of contributing to rising rates of mental health disorders among children and teenagers.
Lawmakers and Tech Executives
Social media executives have faced repeated questioning in Congress about their handling of youth safety online. In January 2024, the CEOs of Meta, Snap, TikTok, X and Discord appeared before the U.S. Senate, where they were pressed on issues including content moderation, algorithmic design and the addictive nature of their platforms.
During that hearing, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned to parents in the audience and apologised to families who had lost children to social media-related harms — a rare public display of contrition that drew national attention.
The outcome of New York City’s lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for how social media companies are regulated in relation to young users, potentially paving the way for stricter design rules, safety features, and corporate accountability measures across the United States.
