The lawsuit alleges that Meta, Snap, ByteDance, and Google (whose parent company is Alphabet) knowingly “designed, developed, and designed their platforms to attract, capture, and engage youth with minimal parental supervision.” “produced, operated, promoted, distributed, and sold.'' ”
The plaintiffs allege that these technology companies violated several city laws related to public nuisance and gross negligence through the design and marketing of addictive products. They claim New York's school districts and various health and social services are being severely impacted by children experiencing negative mental health effects due to the use of popular social media apps.
“Over the past decade, we have seen how addictive and overwhelming the online world has become, exposing children to a constant stream of harmful content and increasing the number of youth deaths nationwide,” Adams said in a statement. “It's fueling a mental health crisis.” “Today, on behalf of millions of New Yorkers, we are taking bold action to hold these companies accountable for their role in this crisis and to support efforts to address this public health danger. This lawsuit and action plan are part of a larger reckoning that will shape the lives of our young people, our cities, and our societies for years to come. . ”
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the company has “industry-leading safeguards” in place for teens, including parental controls and age restriction features.
“We regularly partner with experts to understand emerging best practices and remain committed to keeping our communities safe by addressing industry-wide challenges,” the spokesperson said. .
A Google representative said the allegations were “completely untrue.”
Google said: “Providing young people with safer and healthier experiences online has always been at the core of our work.” “We have worked with youth, mental health and parenting experts to develop services and policies that provide age-appropriate experiences for young people and robust control for parents.”
Meta says it has “spent 10 years addressing these issues,” adding, “We want to provide teens with a safe and age-appropriate online experience, and we are committed to supporting them and their parents.” We have over 30 tools and features.”
“Snapchat is intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media,” a Snap spokesperson said, adding that it is focused on facilitating conversations with your closest friends.
“Rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling, Snapchat offers direct access to the camera and no traditional public likes or comments,” a Snap spokesperson said. “While we always have more work to do, we are pleased with the role Snapchat plays in helping our closest friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence. I am.”
The New York lawsuit mirrors similar claims filed in 2022 in the Northern District of California against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Alphabet. Multiple school districts and individuals claim that the company's products are “defective because they are designed to maximize screen time” and have caused a variety of mental and physical harm, including death. .
Social media companies have come under fire from lawmakers who are pushing several bills, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), as part of a broader appeal for regulation. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel appeared at a Senate Judiciary hearing in late January to discuss child protection issues. He faced tough questions from a bipartisan group of lawmakers about the alleged negligence.
Meanwhile, a coalition of more than 40 attorneys general filed a joint federal lawsuit against Meta, alleging that its products are addictive and harm mental health.
clock: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to parents at online child safety Senate hearing
