The state of Arkansas sued YouTube and its parent company, Alphabet, on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is intentionally addictive and sparking a mental health crisis among youth in the state.
Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed suit in state court, accusing them of violating the state’s deceptive trade practices and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit claims the site is addictive and has cost the state millions of dollars to expand mental health and other services for youth.
“YouTube amplifies harmful material, administers dopamine hits to users, and generates youth engagement and advertising revenue,” the lawsuit said. “As a result, youth mental health issues have evolved in lockstep with the growth of social media, especially YouTube.”
Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which owns the video service and is also named as a defendant in the case, denied the lawsuit’s claims.
“Providing safer and healthier experiences for young people has always been at the core of our work. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement that the company has worked with youth, mental health and parenting experts to build services and policies that provide age-appropriate experiences for teens and strong controls for parents. “The claims contained in this complaint are completely untrue.”
YouTube requires users under 17 to get parental permission before using the site, and accounts for users under 13 must be linked to their parent’s account. However, it is possible to watch YouTube without an account, and children can easily lie about their age.
The lawsuit is the latest in an ongoing push by state and federal lawmakers to highlight the impact social media sites have on young users. Last June, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy urged Congress: A warning label is required on social media platforms about its impact on the lives of young people, similar to the present. Requirements for cigarette packs.
Arkansas last year A similar lawsuit was filed It sued TikTok and Facebook parent company Meta, claiming the social media company was misleading consumers about the safety of children and the protection of users’ personal data on its platforms. The lawsuit is still pending in state court.
Arkansas also enacted a law. Parental consent required The bill would have allowed minors to create new social media accounts, but the bill was blocked by a federal judge.
YouTube, along with TikTok, is one of the most popular sites for children and teenagers. both sites question In the past, it has hosted and in some cases promoted videos that promote gun violence. eating disorder And self-harm.
YouTube changed in June Gun Video PolicyBan videos showing how to remove gun safety devices. Under the new policy, videos showing certain firearm accessories, such as homemade guns, automatic weapons, and suppressors, will be restricted to users 18 years of age or older.
The Arkansas lawsuit alleges that YouTube’s algorithms steer young people toward harmful adult content and encourage the spread of child sexual abuse content.
The lawsuit does not seek specific damages, but seeks an order that YouTube pay funds for prevention, education and treatment for “excessive and problematic social media use.”
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