NYC Sues Major Social Media Companies

In October, New York City filed a sweeping lawsuit against Meta, Snap, Bytedance and Alphabet, the owners of social media platforms that include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. The lawsuit, spurred on by Mayor Eric Adams' administration, argues their platforms have created “a public nuisance,” fueling anxiety, depression and addiction in young people.

Dr. Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, has written many books on social media and kids, including 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. Twenge says that her research shows a clear link between screen time and mental distress in teens.

“There's also studies showing that the more hours a day a teen spends on social media, the more likely it is he or she is depressed,” Twenge said. “I think the tech companies have an obligation to keep children 12 and under off their platforms — and to either keep off [social media] or provide a safer experience for those who are 13 to 17 years old.”

But neither has happened, and that’s why Twenge has faith in New York City's argument.

“I'm not a lawyer,” she said, “but if ‘public nuisance’ means that 12-year-olds can get on social media without their parents' knowledge — just checking a box or lying about their birthday — when the law says they're not supposed to be on at all, that sounds like a public nuisance to me.”

She agrees that major tech companies “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of youth,” as the city’s lawsuit claims. The city also says addictive platforms are contributing to chronic absenteeism, students' sleep habits, and risky behavior, such as subway surfing.

Dr. Michael Zimmer, a professor of computer science at Marquette University, sees similarities between the city’s lawsuit and how the federal government eventually regulated the tobacco industry.

“There was this indirect cost to society and cost to the states to manage the healthcare, the health outcomes and all the downstream impacts,” he said.

But in many ways, these platforms are more accessible, more addictive and a lot cheaper than cigarettes ever were. So the question is: who’s to blame— the user, or the company?

Zimmer believes tech companies are responsible.

“There is something unique about these kinds of platforms,” Zimmer said. “They’re designed to really capture you. I can't do TikTok because I will sit there for an hour before realizing it.”

New York City's lawsuit is still in its early stages, and the tech companies want it dismissed.

But both Zimmer and Twenge agree the problem can’t be entirely solved on the tech side. Underlying cultural problems must be addressed too.

“We have under-protected [children] in the online world and overprotected in the real world,” Twenge said. “We need to come back to the time, many parents remember from when they were kids, when they could go play with friends the entire day.”

This story ran on the What’s What podcast from WFUV News on November 17, 2025.