New York City has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Meta Platforms, Google, Snap, TikTok and other social media companies of worsening a youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing addictive platforms, Reuters reported Thursday.
The 327-page complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks damages and alleges the companies exploited the “psychology and neurophysiology of youth” to drive compulsive use for profit. The case makes New York City one of the largest plaintiffs to join roughly 2,050 similar lawsuits consolidated in federal court in Oakland, California.
City officials said they withdrew from earlier litigation filed in California state court to join the broader federal action. The complaint cites rising rates of sleep loss, chronic absenteeism, and dangerous behaviors such as “subway surfing,” blaming social media for encouraging risky trends among young users.
Meta, Snap, and TikTok did not immediately comment. A Google spokesperson rejected the claims, saying YouTube is a streaming service, not a social network.