NYC sues social media giants for allegedly addicting children

The largest US metropolis is among much than 2,000 different municipalities pursuing akin lawsuits.

New York City has filed a suit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and different online platforms of fuelling a intelligence wellness situation among children by addicting them to societal media.

The 327-page ailment filed connected Wednesday successful national tribunal successful Manhattan seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram proprietor Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube proprietor Alphabet, Snapchat proprietor Snap and TikTok proprietor ByteDance. It accused the defendants of gross negligence and causing a nationalist nuisance.

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The metropolis joined different governments, schoolhouse districts and individuals pursuing astir 2,050 akin lawsuits successful nationwide litigation successful the Oakland, California, national court.

New York City is among the largest plaintiffs with a colonisation of 8.48 million, including astir 1.8 cardinal nether property 18. Its schoolhouse and healthcare systems are besides plaintiffs.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said allegations concerning YouTube are “simply not true”, successful portion due to the fact that it is simply a streaming work and not a societal web wherever radical drawback up with friends.

The different defendants did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for New York City’s instrumentality section said the metropolis withdrew from litigation announced by Mayor Eric Adams successful February 2024 and pending successful California authorities courts truthful it could articulation the national litigation.

According to Wednesday’s complaint, the defendants designed their platforms to “exploit the science and neurophysiology of youth” and thrust compulsive usage successful pursuit of profit.

The ailment said 77.3 percent of New York City precocious schoolhouse students admitted to spending 3 oregon much hours a time connected “screen time” including TV, computers and smartphones, contributing to mislaid slumber and chronic schoolhouse absences.

New York City’s wellness commissioner declared societal media a nationalist wellness hazard successful January 2024, and the city, including its schools, has had to walk much payer dollars to code the resulting younker intelligence wellness crisis, the ailment said.

The metropolis besides blamed societal media for an summation successful “subway surfing”, oregon riding atop oregon disconnected the sides of moving trains. At slightest 16 subway surfers person died since 2023, including 2 girls aged 12 and 13 this month, constabulary information show.

“Defendants should beryllium held to relationship for the harms their behaviour has inflicted,” the metropolis said. “As it stands now, [the] plaintiffs are near to abate the nuisance and ft the bill.”