Eric Adams is going to war against the titans of the tech industry. The mayor of New York City has announced lawsuits against Meta, ByteDance, Google, and Snap, alleging that those companies’ platforms harm the mental health of young users.
The suit argues that apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat were “designed, developed, produced, operated, promoted, distributed, and marketed…to attract, capture, and addict youth, with minimal parental oversight.” The legal action is supported by New York institutions, including the local school district and several health organizations, but the suit was filed in the Los Angeles County branch of the California Superior Court. Attorneys for the plaintiffs explained that the case was moved across the country to account for the defendants’ ties to California.
The New York City government is hoping to show that the platforms in question breached local laws related to public nuisance and gross negligence. According to a study recently cited by Mayor Adams, 77% of high school students spend more than three hours per day on screens, excluding homework, from Monday to Friday.
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“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 in a statement. “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.”
All four of the companies in New York’s crosshairs have responded to the filing. A TikTok spokesperson cited “industry-leading safeguards” that protect teens on the platform, while Meta acknowledged that it has “spent a decade working on these issues.” Snap cited its deemphasized feeds and comments as examples of how it is “helping close friends feel connected” rather than focusing on addictive algorithmic recommendations. Google issued a firm denial, with its spokesperson stating that NYC’s claims are “simply not true.”
If Mayor Adams is serious about taking on social media companies, he should dig in for a long night. Numerous attempts to regulate apps like TikTok have been stymied in courts and lawmaking bodies. The Virginia Legislate shot down a proposal that would ban the state’s kids from using TikTok, and Montana’s attempt to rein in the ByteDance-owned app was blocked by a federal judge.
A separate case related to controversial social media regulations, including Texas’ HB 20, is set for a hearing at the Supreme Court. The resulting decision could impact future legal battles related to social media autonomy, so Mayor Adams and his allies will want to pay attention to the outcome.
