New York City sues YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat for ``fueling youth mental health crisis''

Google (YouTube), Meta (Instagram/Facebook), ByteDance (TikTok), and Snap (Snapchat), which New York City operates, are said to have 'fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis and placed a financial burden on local governments.' ).

Mayor Adams Announces Lawsuit Against Social Media Companies Fueling Nationwide Youth Mental Health | City of New York

NYC Mayor Eric Adams sues TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/14/new-york-city-sues-social-media-companies-for-negligence-public-nuisance

New York City Mayor Eric Adams accused social media companies of 'deliberately addicting young people to stay on their platforms.' The company is seeking a jury trial, changes in the company's behavior, and monetary damages, alleging that the company is guilty of three crimes under New York state law: ``negligence,'' ``gross negligence,'' and ``public nuisance.''

According to Mayor Adams, as young people fall into mental health crises due to social media, the financial burden on local governments that support young people is increasing.

Similar lawsuits have been filed elsewhere because there are no federal laws to protect young people online.

The counterarguments of each platform operating company to the complaint are as follows.

Meta Public Relations Andy Stone:
We want to provide young people with a safe and age-appropriate online experience, and we have tools and features to support them and their parents. We have been working on this problem for over 10 years and have dedicated human resources.

Google PR Jose Castañeda:
Providing young people with a safer experience online has always been at the core of our work. We've been working with experts to build our services and policies. The allegations in the complaint are simply not true.

ByteDance:
TikTok has industry-leading safeguards to take care of young people, including age restrictions, parental controls, and an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18.

Snap:
Snapchat focuses on helping users communicate with their closest friends, and is intentionally designed differently from traditional social networking sites. Snapchat doesn't have a feed of content that passively encourages scrolling, and it doesn't have traditional likes. There's always more work to be done, but I'm happy with the role Snapchat plays in helping my closest friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.