The city of Boston and Boston Public Schools are suing social media companies, alleging that the platforms have addictive designs that are creating a “youth mental health crisis.”

Companies Named in Lawsuit

The lawsuit names Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. It was filed in the Northern District of California and will be consolidated with complaints filed by more than 1,500 school districts across the U.S.

According to Boston Public Schools, there has been a significant increase in student mental health needs over the past decade, directly tied to social media use. The lawsuit alleges that the social media companies have created a youth mental health crisis through negligence, pointing to addictive features like endless scrolling and targeted algorithms.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement, “Social media companies have evidence of the harm they are causing to our kids by designing platforms that keep them hooked in endless scrolling and monetizing engagement at the expense of their mental health.”

Massachusetts lawmakers have been considering legislation to ban social media use for children under a certain age.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.