The mayor of New York City announced an exciting initiative taken by his administration: filing a lawsuit against the major companies that create the most popular social media networks

New York City is suing TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Google Because of its harmful effects on the mental health of children and youth. This is the latest exciting initiative by the Mayor of New York, eric adams, took action against major technology companies that, according to the filed indictment, “They consciously built their platforms to appeal to young people, their families, and their addictions.”

According to a recent study on the social habits of Generation Z, toGirls between the ages of 14 and 17 have a 10.2 times risk Who suffers from severe or very severe social anxiety and 5.5 times higher than having a very impulsive personality, while One in 40 (2.5%) children have behavior consistent with social media addiction.

Risk of addiction

In recent years, social media addiction has become an increasingly widespread phenomenon. Not only among adults, but above all among so-called children generation z, Which has not yet been formed in the soul and spirit. In fact, many of them spend hours on various social media platforms, in a constant effort to maintain their online presence and keep up with the latest trends and news.. However, this constant virtual exposure has a significant impact on our mental health and personal relationships. Exactly for this reason New York CityIn collaboration with the entire school district and health organizations, filed a lawsuit, In the Los Angeles County Branch of the California Supreme Courtagainst some of the largest social media companiesincluding TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Blame Big Tech Because it causes harm to the mental health of children and adolescents. According to the lawsuit filed with Meta, Snap, ByteDance, and Google They consciously built and marketed their platforms to appeal to young people, their families, and their addictions.

A case that could make history

In the complaint submitted It is noteworthy that nearly one million students were dealt with – Problems and interruptions in teaching inside and outside the classroom It needed counseling on anxiety and depression and the development of specific pathways on the effects of social media on the mental health of children and teens, costing taxpayers more than $100 million annually in spending on programs and services. “In the past decade, We've seen how addictive and oppressive the online world can be, Exposing our children to a constant stream of harmful content and fueling a national youth mental health crisis,Mayor Adams said. “Today, we're taking bold action on behalf of millions of New Yorkers To hold these companies accountable for their role in this crisis.”