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Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday escalated New York City's fight against social media companies, joining hundreds of municipalities and school systems across the country in suing for financial compensation and sweeping changes to how the platforms operate. .
The city claims social media platforms are designed to be addictive, harm young people's mental health and provide a platform for bullying. The lawsuit asks the companies to change their practices and pay for preventive and treatment services for youth mental health education. Officials say the city spends about $100 million a year on youth mental health programs.
The lawsuit filed in California state court against the companies behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube also includes the city's Department of Education and public hospital system.
“The ability of young people to keep clicking into the dark corners of social media has led to alarming increases in cyberbullying, depression, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation,” Adams said at a Wednesday briefing. “Of course, there's a lot of educational and positive content out there. But there's also a 24/7 digital dystopia where even young children can easily access it without their parents or guardians even realizing it.”
City officials pointed to a series of alarming statistics regarding youth mental health, including rising rates of suicide attempts. Moreover, according to statistics, in 2021, nearly 38% of high school students felt so hopeless or sad in the previous year that they stopped participating in normal activities. Although experts are calling for more research on the topic, there is still little conclusive evidence linking social media use and mental health problems.
But the lawsuit says the nation's largest school system will have to face a huge burden, including hiring additional counselors and social workers, investigating threats against schools and students through social media, and increasing community-based services such as outpatient and follow-up treatment. It is claimed that it is affected. -School programs. The lawsuit notes that social media addiction is negatively impacting students' attention spans, learning abilities and behavior, with some students becoming violent when teachers try to take away their phones. .
Some school leaders are struggling to manage the influence of social media on their campuses. In response to Instagram accounts that allowed students to post anonymous content, a Queens school principal threatened to suspend their activities and suspend students who followed them, an episode that raised free speech concerns. Ta. (The account was eventually deleted.)
In order to attract the attention of “vulnerable” and developmentally young people and increase advertising revenue, the complaint alleges that the companies “mainly exploit behavioral and neurobiological techniques used in slot machines and exploited by the tobacco industry.” He claims that he borrowed it from “.
A lawsuit filed last year by a Seattle school district against social media companies sparked the current wave of lawsuits. The New York City lawsuit appears to be similar to others brought by local school districts, and some parties say they could face legal penalties.
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“Most of these [lawsuits] As important as it is to frame the issue and win in the court of public opinion, legal success is also important,” Chris Thomas, a professor at the University of Florida, told Edweek. “Even if the mountain is difficult to climb legally, that's part of the strategy for litigation.”
Mr. Adams has indicated for months that his administration plans to take stronger action against social media companies. Last month, he announced that the city would begin treating social media use as a public health threat and run an ad campaign equating major social media platforms with tobacco companies. The city also issued an advisory encouraging parents to delay giving their children smartphones until age 14 to limit continued access to social media.
As part of the new Framework for Action, the city has vowed to take a series of other measures in addition to litigation, including instructing schools to create “technology-free zones” and establishing youth advisory committees. This includes startup.
City officials also began offering free online therapy for teenagers, one of Adams' biggest mental health initiatives, but some students have struggled to convince their parents to let them participate. ing. More than 2,000 teens have used the online treatment platform so far, a Ministry of Health spokesperson said.
In response to the city's lawsuit, Snapchat spokeswoman Ashley Adams called for the platform to distance itself from other social media companies. “Snapchat is intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media,” she wrote, noting that the platform does not include a traditional feed and “there are no traditional public likes or comments.” ” he pointed out.
“While we always have more work to do, the role Snapchat plays in helping our closest friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.” I’m happy with that,” she added.
Liza Crenshaw, a spokeswoman for Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, said the company has more than 30 tools and features to support teens and their parents. “We want teens to have a safe and age-appropriate experience online,” she said.
Representatives for TikTok and YouTube could not immediately be reached for comment.
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering New York City public schools. To contact Alex, azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
Amy Zimmer is Chalkbeat's New York bureau chief. Contact Amy: azimmer@chalkbeat.org.
