New York condemns the five largest social networks for harming the mental health of youth
New York City filed a formal complaint this Wednesday against the five largest social networks – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube – for “fostering a mental health crisis among minors across the country.”
Complaint – formalized before California Supreme CourtThe state where most technology companies are located – presented by the mayor today eric adams And has been jointly proposed by the Mayor’s Office, Education Department and Health Department.
New York spends $100 million a year on youth mental health treatment programs, the mayor said.: “Our city was built on innovation and technology, but Many social networks endanger children’s mental health, foster addictions and encourage unhealthy behaviors“he explained.
“Today we are acting on behalf of millions of New Yorkers These companies are held accountable for their role in this crisis (…) The complaint and action plan are part of a wider action that will impact the lives of our young people, our city and our society for years to come,” the mayor said.
City on 24th January New York declared social networks a “threat to mental health” and compared their dangerousness to drugs and weaponsAccording to Efe agency.
“We can’t stand by and let Big Tech make money from our children’s privacy,” This was followed up by the mayor, who relied on a report from the Department of Mental Health stating that 77% of high school students spend three hours or more a day in front of screens in their free time.
The complaint filed today describes some social media tactics, such as “The use of algorithms to keep users connected and encourage compulsive usage”, Design of game-like mechanisms in application design and Abuse of “interactivity” or making the user feel the need to interact with the application.
New York is the first major city to file a complaint against the Big Five technology companies -Some of them are among the queens of Wall Street-, but New York Earlier 41 states had condemned META (owners of Facebook and Instagram) last October for the same reasons.