Reuters (10/8, Stempel) reports New York City on Wednesday “filed a new lawsuit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms of fueling a mental health crisis among children by addicting them to social media.” The complaint filed in “Manhattan federal court seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube owner Alphabet, Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance. It accuses the defendants of gross negligence and causing a public nuisance.” The suit alleges the companies designed their platforms to “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of youth,” and drive compulsive use in pursuit of profit. According to Reuters, NYC “joined other governments, school districts and individuals pursuing approximately 2,050 similar lawsuits, in nationwide litigation in the Oakland, California, federal court.”
Related Links:
— “New York City sues social media companies for allegedly addicting children,”Jonathan Stempel, Reuters, October 8, 2025