Nevada AG Sues YouTube Over Harm, Addiction of Minors
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford sued YouTube and its corporate parents, Google and Alphabet, on Monday over allegations that the companies knowingly created an addictive and harmful platform that targets the youth.
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"Much like an illegal drug, YouTube has been designed to be a self-described 'addiction engine,' targeting people under the age of 18" and "more insidiously" children under 13 who "have developmentally limited capacity for self-control," the complaint said. "Social media platforms like YouTube, with design elements that intentionally keep children engaged for as long as possible -- to the exclusion of all other activities -- harm their users emotionally, developmentally, and physically. They lead to a condition known as 'problematic internet use,' which is associated with a range of harms."
The complaint claims counts of negligence, unjust enrichment and products liability, as well as violations of the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Ford previously sued TikTok (see 2410080042), Snapchat and three Meta-owned platforms -- Instagram, Facebook and Messenger -- in January 2024.
“Today’s litigation is a necessary step to ensure that our state’s youth are not exploited by social media platforms and that they can grow into adults without the addictive and harmful impacts that these platforms can cause," Ford said in an emailed press release.
Google denied wrongdoing in an emailed statement to Privacy Daily. “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work," said its spokesperson. "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. The allegations in this complaint are simply not true.”