New York City is suing major social media companies — including Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok — claiming their platforms intentionally hook children and fuel a youth mental health crisis. The federal lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, accuses the tech giants of exploiting young users’ psychology to maximize engagement and profit.
The city, representing 8.5 million residents and 1.8 million minors, joins more than 2,000 similar cases in nationwide litigation. Officials say excessive screen use has driven spikes in anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation, forcing schools and healthcare systems to spend millions addressing the fallout.
New York’s complaint also cites links between social media and “subway surfing”, a viral trend that has led to at least 16 deaths since 2023. “Defendants should be held to account for the harms their conduct has inflicted,” the filing states.
A Google spokesperson dismissed claims about YouTube as “simply not true,” while other companies have yet to respond. The lawsuit follows the city’s withdrawal from state-level litigation to focus on a federal strategy targeting systemic harms.
If successful, the case could become one of the most consequential challenges yet to the business models of social media giants, testing how far platforms can go in monetizing youth engagement.
