Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced a lawsuit filed in Phillips County Circuit Court against Google LLC, YouTube LLC, XXVI Holdings, Inc., and their parent company Alphabet, Inc. The suit alleges that these companies engaged in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA).
“YouTube has deceived users and parents about the safety of its platforms for youth. YouTube has profited substantially off young Arkansans because it deliberately designed its platform to be addictive by using features to keep users engaged for as long as possible,” Griffin stated.
Griffin further accused Google of designing and marketing YouTube to exploit and addict young users, contributing to a mental health crisis in Arkansas. “The majority of children aged 13 to 17 report using YouTube every day,” he added.
“One of the gravest public health threats to children in the United States today is the soaring rate of mental and behavioral health disorders, including depression, self-harm, body dysmorphia, and increased suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide. This increase in mental health problems among children is the result of calculated efforts by social-media companies like YouTube to attract and addict youth to their platforms and to grow revenues without regard for the harmful effects that these companies know exist,” Griffin emphasized.
This legal action aligns with Griffin’s ongoing efforts to protect children from social media dangers. In 2023, he sued Facebook, Instagram, Meta, and TikTok on similar grounds. Earlier this month, Griffin joined a bipartisan coalition urging Congress to mandate U.S. Surgeon General warning labels on all algorithm-driven social-media platforms.
Tim Griffin was sworn in as Arkansas's 57th Attorney General on January 10, 2023. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023 and represented Arkansas’s Second Congressional District from 2011-2015. He has over 28 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps and currently holds the rank of colonel.
Griffin's extensive career includes roles such as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas; Special Assistant to President George W. Bush; Senior Investigative Counsel for the Government Reform Committee; among others.
He holds degrees from Hendrix College, Tulane Law School, Oxford University graduate school, and a master’s degree from the U.S. Army War College.
Griffin resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.