New York City, its schools and public hospital system announced a lawsuit Wednesday against the tech giants that run Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, blaming their “addictive and dangerous” social media platforms for fueling a childhood mental health crisis that is disrupting learning and draining resources.
The city spends more than $100 million on youth mental health programs and services each year, Mayor Eric Adams' office said.
“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,” Adams said.
"The allegations in this complaint are simply not true,” said José Castañeda, a spokesman for YouTube parent Google, who said by email that the company has collaborated with youth, mental health and parenting experts.
Virtually all U.S. teenagers use social media, and roughly one in six teens describe their use of YouTube and TikTok as “almost constant,” according to the Pew Research Center.
Persons:
Eric Adams, ” Adams, ”, José Castañeda, “ TikTok, ’, We’ve, “
Organizations:
Facebook, YouTube, of Education, New York, New York City Health, Hospitals Corp, Google, Pew Research Center, Meta, Inc
Locations:
York City, Court, California, New York, New York City