LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately 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 trade practices and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit claims the site is addictive and has resulted in the state spending millions on expanded mental health and other services for young people.
“YouTube amplifies harmful material, doses users with dopamine hits, and drives youth engagement and advertising revenue,” the lawsuit said. “As a result, youth mental health problems have advanced in lockstep with the growth of social media, and in particular, YouTube.”
Alphabet’s Google, which owns the video service and is also named as a defendant in the case, denied the lawsuit’s claims.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work. In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences, and parents with robust controls,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement. “The allegations in this complaint are simply not true.”
YouTube requires users under 17 to get their parent’s permission before using the site, while accounts for users younger than 13 must be linked to a parental account. But it is possible to watch YouTube without an account, and kids can easily lie about their age.
The lawsuit is the latest in an ongoing push by state and federal lawmakers to highlight the impact that social media sites have on younger users. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in June called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects on young people’s lives, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes.
Arkansas last year filed similar lawsuits against TikTok and Facebook parent company Meta, claiming the social media companies were misleading consumers about the safety of children on their platforms and protections of users’ private data. Those lawsuits are still pending in state court.
Arkansas also enacted a law requiring parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts, though that measure has been blocked by a federal judge.
Along with TikTok, YouTube is one of the most popular sites for children and teens. Both sites have been questioned in the past for hosting, and in some cases promoting, videos that encourage gun violence, eating disorders and self-harm.
YouTube in June changed its policies about firearm videos, prohibiting any videos demonstrating how to remove firearm safety devices. Under the new policies, videos showing homemade guns, automatic weapons and certain firearm accessories like silencers will be restricted to users 18 and older.
Arkansas’ lawsuit claims that YouTube’s algorithms steer youth to harmful adult content, and that it facilitates the spread of child sexual abuse material.
The lawsuit doesn’t seek specific damages, but asks that YouTube be ordered to fund prevention, education and treatment for “excessive and problematic use of social media.”
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has filed a lawsuit against YouTube, alleging that the video-sharing platform has contributed to a mental health crisis among young people. The lawsuit, filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court, claims that YouTube’s algorithms and recommendation systems have promoted harmful content that can negatively impact the mental well-being of its users, particularly children and teenagers.
According to the lawsuit, YouTube’s algorithms prioritize engagement and watch time, often leading users down a rabbit hole of increasingly extreme and harmful content. This can include videos promoting self-harm, eating disorders, and other dangerous behaviors. The lawsuit also alleges that YouTube fails to adequately monitor and remove harmful content, despite being aware of its potential impact on users’ mental health.
Attorney General Rutledge stated, “YouTube has a responsibility to protect its users, especially young people, from harmful content that can contribute to mental health issues. By promoting and recommending harmful content, YouTube is failing in its duty to provide a safe and healthy environment for its users.”
The lawsuit seeks to hold YouTube accountable for its alleged role in contributing to the mental health crisis among young people in Arkansas. It is calling for YouTube to implement stricter guidelines and monitoring systems to prevent the promotion of harmful content on its platform. Additionally, the lawsuit is seeking monetary damages for the state of Arkansas to address the costs associated with addressing the mental health issues caused by YouTube’s alleged actions.
YouTube has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit, but the company has previously stated that it takes the issue of harmful content seriously and has implemented measures to address it. However, critics argue that more needs to be done to protect users, particularly young people, from being exposed to harmful content on the platform.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for how online platforms are held accountable for the content they promote and recommend to users. It also highlights the growing concern over the impact of social media and digital platforms on mental health, particularly among young people. As more and more people turn to online platforms for entertainment and information, it is crucial that steps are taken to ensure that these platforms prioritize the well-being of their users.
