KUALA LUMPUR: The New York City administration on Wednesday announced that it is suing companies of five social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, for allegedly fueling a mental health crisis among youths in the state.
In the lawsuit filed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene together with the New York City Health and Hospitals and the New York City Department of Education in the California Superior Court, the administration also named companies owning Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube platforms in the suit.
The lawsuit against the companies came about a month after the New York City's Health Department declared social media a public health hazard.
In his address on the lawsuit, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his administration is demanding these companies be held accountable for their platforms' alleged damaging influence on the younger generation.
The administration, said Adams, is also seeking the recover the costs incurred addressing the ongoing public health threat as a result from the influence on the younger generation brought on from the social platforms.
"My fellow New Yorkers... This is a city built on innovation and technology, a place where we celebrate progress and look to the future.
"Even as we have created jobs, opportunity and prosperity with new technology, there have been unforeseen consequences and dangers especially when it comes to social media effects on the mental health of our young people," he said.
Recent data, said Adams, found that young people in New York City are experiencing anxiety, hopelessness as well as attempted suicide at "rates we have never seen before."
"Over the past decades, we have seen just how addictive and overwhelming the online world can be, exposing children to content they are not ready for, disrupting the educational process and seriously damaging their self-esteem and well-being.
"And there is growing evidence that the power of social media is a major cause. This is a serious problem that must be addressed now," he said.
Adams said parents in New York City witnessed for themselves that their children are spending too much time online.
Youths in the New York City, he said, spent an average of three hours or more per day in front of screen of their devices.
The situation, said Adams, is compounded as adults find it hard enough to moderate the use of social media "but it is more difficult for our young people."
"Instead of talking to each other over lunch at the cafeteria, they (children) are absorbed in their screens (of their devices). Instead of playing at the park with friends, they are inside on a sunny day, clicking and scrolling.
"Instead of learning confidence and resilience, they are being exposed to contents that often leads to insecurity and depression." he said.
