New York City sues Meta, Alphabet, Snap, ByteDance over youth mental health
New York City sued Meta, Alphabet, Snap, and ByteDance, alleging their social media platforms intentionally exploited young users' psychology through algorithmic design to maximize engagement, causing a youth mental health crisis including sleep loss, school absences, and dangerous behavior including train surfing that reportedly caused teen deaths.
What happened
On October 8, 2025, New York City filed a 327-page lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against Meta, Alphabet, Snap, and ByteDance. The complaint alleged the platforms designed their algorithms to exploit the psychology of young users and maximize engagement at the expense of children's mental health.
Reported impact
The complaint alleged the platforms' algorithms contributed to sleep loss, chronic school absenteeism, and risky behavior including 'subway surfing,' riding on top of or off the sides of moving trains. According to the complaint, 77.3% of New York City high school students and 82.1% of girls admitted to spending three or more hours a day on screen time. New York City police data cited in the complaint showed at least 16 teens have died in subway surfing incidents since 2023, including two girls aged 12 and 13 in October 2025.
The complaint stated social media use created a public health hazard and substantial interference with school district operations and public hospitals providing mental health services to youth. The city alleged it had incurred substantial costs to address the youth mental health crisis.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.