NYC sues Google and other social media giants over their addictive platforms

A lot of good can be done with the help of social media, such as raising awareness for a cause. At the same time, there’s a darker side that can cause harm. Regardless of whether social media is a net positive or negative, New York City has had enough. The city, along with its school districts and health department, is now suing the tech giants that run these platforms.

According to Gizmodo, New York City has filed a lawsuit against Meta, Google, Snapchat, TikTok, and other social media companies. The lawsuit accuses these companies of “gross negligence” and “causing a public nuisance.” Specifically, it alleges that these companies are fueling a mental health crisis among children, addicting them to social media.

In the complaint, which is 327 pages long, New York City claims that firms like Meta and Google have designed their platforms to draw in the maximum number of children. It adds that these companies “know children and adolescents are in a developmental stage that leaves them particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects of these features” and that they have built “algorithms that wield user data as a weapon against children and fuel the addiction machine” for profit.

New York State isn’t alone in its battle, as it joined other governments from across the country in this litigation. Some of the other states include Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and South Carolina. However, New York has now become the largest of the plaintiffs, with a population of 8.48 million.

In a statement sent to the outlet, Google spokesperson José Castañeda said:

These lawsuits fundamentally misunderstand how YouTube works, and the allegations are simply not true. YouTube is a streaming service where people come to watch everything from live sports, to podcasts to their favorite creators, primarily on TV screens, not a social network where people go to catch up with friends. We’ve also developed dedicated tools like Supervised Experiences for young people, guided by child safety experts, that give families control.