The nation’s largest city is among more than 2,000 other municipalities filing similar lawsuits.
Published October 8, 2025
New York City has filed a lawsuit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms of addicting children to social media and fueling a children’s mental health crisis.
The 327-page complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube owner Alphabet, Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance. The defendants were accused of gross negligence and causing a public nuisance.
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The city joins about 2,050 other governments, school districts and individuals filing similar lawsuits nationwide in federal court in Oakland, California.
New York City is one of the largest plaintiffs, with a population of 8.48 million people, approximately 1.8 million of whom are under the age of 18. The city’s schools and health care system are also plaintiffs.
Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the allegations about YouTube are “absolutely untrue,” in part because YouTube is a streaming service, not a social network for catching up with friends.
The other defendants did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Justice said New York City has withdrawn from the lawsuit pending in California state court, announced by Mayor Eric Adams in February 2024, to join the federal lawsuit.
Wednesday’s complaint says the defendants designed the platform to “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of young people” and facilitate compulsive use for profit.
According to the complaint, 77.3% of New York City high school students admitted to spending three or more hours a day on “screen time” such as television, computers, and smartphones, contributing to sleep deprivation and chronic school absenteeism.
The New York City Health Commissioner declared social media a public health hazard in January 2024, forcing the city, including schools, to spend more taxpayer dollars to address the resulting youth mental health crisis, according to the complaint.
The city also blamed social media for the rise in “subway surfing,” the practice of riding on top of or alongside moving trains. At least 16 subway surfers have died since 2023, including two girls aged 12 and 13 this month, according to police data.
“The defendant should be held responsible for the damage caused by his actions,” the city said. “As it stands, the plaintiffs need to alleviate the nuisance and pay compensation.”
