San Diego County has filed a lawsuit against Big Tech platforms Meta, Snap Inc., ByteDance, and Google, claiming the companies intentionally designed addictive platforms in the pursuit of profit. The companies own Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
The lawsuit, filed by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27 and announced on Feb. 6, argues that these platforms harm young people’s mental health.
The lawsuit demands major industry reforms, financial penalties, and transparency from social media companies similar to those required in Australia and the European Union.
“We won’t stand by while social media companies exploit children’s mental health for profit, nor will we be silenced by corporate influence,” said Board of Supervisors Acting Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who proposed the lawsuit in July 2024….