The news: New York City filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok-owner ByteDance, accusing them of addicting children and worsening a youth mental health crisis, per Reuters.

The complaint states that the social platforms “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of youth” to drive engagement and profit. Schools and healthcare systems in the city, which has 1.8 million minors, cite rising anxiety, sleep loss, and fatal “subway surfing” incidents.

The city seeks damages and tougher accountability standards for platforms, per Yahoo.

Social challenges: Social media was declared a public health hazard there in 2024, and New York City reports that 77% of high schoolers—and 82% of girls—spend over three hours a day on screens. And parents are increasingly skeptical of early tech exposure. Nearly one-third (29%) say their children began social media too young, according to The Harris Poll.

Zooming out: The lawsuit will likely be consolidated with over 2,000 related cases currently coordinated in federal court in Oakland, California, claiming social media design—not just content—has created a public health crisis.

Social media companies respond: Some companies named in the lawsuit defended their safety measures and rejected the city’s claims, per Business Insider.

• Google: “We’ve been working to provide kids and families with protections such as default privacy settings, digital well-being tools, and age-appropriate recommendations. YouTube is a streaming service—not a social network.”
• Meta: “The allegations in this lawsuit mischaracterize our work and ignore significant measures we have already taken.”
• Snap: “Snap is focused on connecting friends and does not feature an endless feed of posts. We work closely with safety partners and give parents tools to manage their teens’ use.”

These responses mark a shift from denial to defense, as platforms stress parental tools and safety features while regulators and parents demand proof of impact, not intent.

What this means for brands: Youth protection and digital well-being are now business imperatives. Marketers should expect tighter guardrails on engagement, targeting, and design and consider it an opportunity to build trust by carefully segmenting teen and adult experiences.

Failing to plan age-appropriate campaigns exposes brands to legal risk, reputational damage, and loss of trust among parents and younger audiences.