Social media companies damage youth mental health, county alleges
Per the complaint, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the county is suing the companies on behalf of its 148 school districts and the approximately 181,583 minors it serves. The county is the largest jurisdiction in Pennsylvania to file litigation against the social media corporations.
The county accuses the companies of negligence and public nuisance. According to the 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey, 33% of students in grades six through 12 reported depressive symptoms at levels the survey considers a risk factor. The study cited federal research that found adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face roughly double the risk of mental health problems, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
“When companies profit from products that contribute to a growing youth mental health crisis, we have a responsibility to act,” Commissioner Neil Makhija said in the press statement Wednesday. “That’s why the County and District Attorney’s Office are working together to protect our residents from harmful products and predatory business practices.”
José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said Thursday in a statement to WHYY News that “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. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true,” he said.
The other companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The litigation follows a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Dave Sunday, asking TikTok “to put into place effective barriers and safeguards” for children and teens using the popular platform in order to limit addictiveness and exposure to mature content.
