The state of Arkansas filed a lawsuit against YouTube and its parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform has become intentionally addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.
Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed the lawsuit in state court, accusing them of violating the state’s deceptive business practices and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit claims the site is addictive and has led to the state spending millions on expanded mental health and other services for youth.
“YouTube amplifies harmful material, gives users a hit of dopamine, and stimulates youth engagement and advertising revenue,” the lawsuit said. “As a result, mental health problems in young people have developed in conjunction with the growth of social media, especially YouTube.”
Alphabet’s Google, which owns the video service and was also named as a defendant in the case, has denied the lawsuit’s allegations.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been at the core of our work. Collaborating with youth, mental health, and parenting experts, we’ve built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences that parents have strong controls over,” Jose Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement. The allegations in this complaint are simply not true.”
YouTube requires users under the age of 17 to obtain parental permission before using the site, while accounts for users under the age of 13 must be linked to a parental account. But 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 campaign by state and federal lawmakers to highlight the impact of social media sites on younger users. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress in June to do so Require warning signs on social media platforms about its effects on the lives of young people, similar to what is happening now Mandatory on cigarette packs.
Arkansas last year File similar lawsuits v. TikTok and Facebook’s parent company Meta, claiming that the social media companies were misleading consumers about the safety of children on their platforms and the protection of users’ private data. Those lawsuits are still pending in state court.
Arkansas also enacted a law Requires parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts, although the measure has been blocked by a federal judge.
Along with TikTok, YouTube is one of the most popular sites for kids and teens. Both locations were He doubted In the past for hosting and, in some cases, promoting videos encouraging gun violence, Eating disorders And self-harm.
YouTube in June changed Policies regarding firearms videosblock any videos showing how to remove firearm safety devices. Under the new policies, videos featuring homemade rifles, automatic weapons, and some firearm accessories such as silencers will be limited to users 18 or older.
The lawsuit filed in Arkansas alleges that YouTube’s algorithms direct youth to harmful adult content, and that they facilitate the spread of child sexual abuse material.
The lawsuit does not seek specific damages, but asks that YouTube be ordered to fund prevention, education, and treatment of “excessive and problematic social media use.”
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