SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) — A California school board is suing YouTube, TikTok and other social media claiming their platforms have caused a mental health crisis among youths.
San Mateo County Board of Education and Nancy Magee, in her official capacity as San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against YouTube LLC, Google LLC, XXVi Holdings Inc., Alphabet Inc., Snap Inc., TikTok Inc., and Bytedance Inc., alleging public nuisance, negligence and other claims.
The plaintiffs allege in their complaint that the defendants have substantially contributed to the youth mental health crisis by intentionally designing their social media platforms to be manipulative and addictive. The plaintiffs claim that schools have been affected by the youth mental health issues "created and exacerbated" by the defendants.
They further claim the defendants use algorithms to keep youth "hooked" on their platforms and deliver programs harmful to youths. The plaintiffs allege the excessive use of the defendants' social media platforms have caused children to struggle with mental health issues and contributed to the rise in suicide rates among youths.
The plaintiffs claim the defendants have adjusted and "optimized" their algorithms to exploit the vulnerabilities of youth.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief, interest and all other just relief. They are represented by Karin Swope and Galen Cheney of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP in Seattle and Anne Murphy, Joseph Cotchett, Brian Danitz,, Andrew Kirtley, and Gayatri Raghunandan of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP in San Francisco.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 3:23- CV-01108-TSH