New York City has filed a major lawsuit against YouTube, TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat, accusing the companies of fueling a “youth mental health crisis” by designing intentionally addictive platforms.
Filed on October 8 in a Manhattan federal court, the 327-page complaint claims the companies “created a public nuisance” by exploiting the psychology of young users to maximize engagement through viral content.
City officials say schools and hospitals have been forced “to devote significant resources—in terms of funding, employees, and time” to deal with the fallout.
“Social media use by teens has recently been implicated in alarming increases in dangerous and even deadly off-campus activity in New York City,” the suit states.
Teachers say students’ social media obsession caused “secondary trauma”
The lawsuit highlights the surge of “subway surfing” videos on social media, noting that at least 16 teens have died since 2023 while attempting the stunt. Over 100 others have been arrested.
“Significantly, NYPD investigations have determined that the primary motivation of subway surfers is to imitate the subway surfing videos they see on social media, and to collect social media ‘likes,’” the lawsuit states. It also claims teachers and staff are suffering “secondary trauma and burnout” as they respond to students in crisis.
A Google spokesperson denied the allegations, saying they “are simply not true” and “fundamentally misunderstand” YouTube.
“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,” José Castañeda told Engadget.
“We’ve also developed dedicated tools like Supervised Experiences for young people, guided by child safety experts, that give families control.”
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