New York City Wants Manhattan Federal Court to Tackle Social Media ‘Addiction’

In a 327-page lawsuit, New York City accused the companies behind Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat of fueling an “unprecedented mental health crisis” among the nation’s youth, which the city claimed to be addicted to social media.

New York City filed a 327-page lawsuit against major social media companies in Manhattan federal court on October 8, 2025, to address the “youth mental health crisis” it alleges their platforms have caused. The city accuses companies behind Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube of designing their platforms to be intentionally addictive to minors. 

The defendants named in the suit are Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram), Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Snap (Snapchat), and ByteDance (TikTok). 
Allegations made by New York City

The lawsuit details the city's accusations:

• Engineered addiction: The city claims companies use tactics similar to the gambling and tobacco industries to make their products addictive for young users.
• Exploitation of youth: The complaint alleges that companies “exploited the psychology and neurophysiology of youth,” who are particularly vulnerable to manipulative features.
• Public nuisance: NYC is suing based on claims of gross negligence and creating a "public nuisance" that has burdened the city's schools, hospitals, and other public services.
• Harmful features: The suit points to specific design features intended to maximize user engagement, such as infinite scroll, algorithms that push certain content, and a constant stream of notifications.
• Significant social costs: The city argues that taxpayers are bearing the cost of addressing the mental and physical health issues resulting from compulsive social media use. 

Background and context

• Nationwide trend: New York City is joining a larger national movement of hundreds of similar lawsuits filed by school districts, states, and individuals.
• Previous filing: The city previously filed a similar lawsuit in California state court in February 2024 but withdrew it on October 2, 2025, to join the consolidated federal litigation.
• Other legal actions: In June 2024, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the SAFE (Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation) for Kids Act, which gives regulators control over social media algorithms for minors.
• Company response: A Google spokesperson has said that allegations regarding YouTube are “simply not true,” in part because it considers the platform a streaming service rather than a social network. 

Legal arguments
The lawsuit seeks financial damages and changes in company behavior to mitigate the harm allegedly caused by the platforms. A federal court ruling in September 2025 in similar nationwide litigation against social media companies allowed negligence claims to proceed, finding that Section 230 protections for interactive computer services may not shield companies that design addictive platforms.