FILE

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin isn’t backing down from his fight against big-name social media companies. In a bold move this week, Griffin announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against Google, along with its parent company Alphabet and associated entities, in Phillips County. His claim? That the tech giant has designed web-based apps like YouTube to be "insidiously" addictive, particularly for younger users.

Griffin didn’t mince words in his statement, calling the addiction caused by Google and YouTube “something more sinister” than your everyday habits, like overeating. According to him, the platforms have been specifically crafted to keep users, especially teenagers, hooked in ways that go beyond casual use. He stated, “Google has deliberately designed and marketed YouTube to exploit and addict young users, contributing to a mental health crisis in Arkansas. The majority of children aged 13 to 17 report using YouTube every day.”

Griffin further elaborated on the psychological mechanisms behind this, explaining how platforms like YouTube rely on "dopamine hits" to keep kids engaged for longer periods. He warned that this tactic has resulted in skyrocketing rates of mental health issues in children, linking the social media giants to an increase in conditions like depression, body dysmorphia, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.

“One of the gravest public health threats to children in the United States today is the soaring rate of mental and behavioral health disorders, including depression, self-harm, body dysmorphia, and increased suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide,” Griffin said. He pointed out that this alarming trend is no accident but a result of “calculated efforts by social media companies like YouTube to attract and addict youth to their platforms” in the pursuit of profit.

This isn’t the first time Griffin has gone after social media companies. His latest lawsuit follows similar actions against TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, signaling his ongoing battle against what he sees as a major public health crisis. The suit accuses Google and its parent companies of violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks monetary damages. Should Arkansas win, some of that money will go toward creating programs for social media addiction prevention and treatment.

Though Griffin chose Phillips County to file the lawsuit, he remained tight-lipped on the strategic reasons behind this decision, saying it would give too much away to opposing counsel. He ended his announcement on a teaser note, promising that bigger updates are on the horizon. “Stay tuned, we’ll have a lot more on this in the coming days,” he said.

With this latest move, Griffin continues to position himself as a fierce advocate for protecting children from the darker side of social media. As more details emerge, it’s clear this fight is far from over.