Nevada attorney general files lawsuit against YouTube

Attorney General Aaron Ford announced Monday his office filed a lawsuit against YouTube, alleging it harms Nevada’s youth.

The lawsuit makes similar allegations to previous lawsuits the office filed against Meta, TikTok and Snap, accusing YouTube of creating a “highly addictive and harmful platform” that targets Nevada’s youth, causing depression, anxiety and negative body image.

“One of the core responsibilities of my office is consumer protection, and there may be no more important consumers than Nevada’s youth,” Ford said in a statement.

He said Monday’s litigation, filed against YouTube and its parent companies Google and Alphabet, is a necessary step to ensure young people in Nevada are not exploited by social media platforms.

“I will take every step to protect the children in our great state, and that includes holding accountable those who exploit and harm our youth,” Ford said.

The litigation points to YouTube’s endlessly scrolling list of videos, algorithmic targeting, constant notifications, prioritization of content based on “likes” and ineffective parental controls as features that allegedly manipulate young users and keep them on the platform for as long as possible.

José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said in an email to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the allegations in the complaint are simply not true.

“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” Castañeda said. “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.”

Ford previously filed lawsuits against the social platforms TikTok, Snapchat and the three Meta-owned platforms of Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, making similar allegations. That litigation is still ongoing.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.