LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On September 30, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced that he has filed a lawsuit in Phillips County Circuit Court against Google LLC, YouTube LLC, XXVI Holdings, Inc., and parent company Alphabet, Inc. for "engaging in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA)."
The lawsuit continues Griffin's efforts to protect children and families from the potential dangers of social media.
In 2023, Griffin sued Facebook, Instagram, Meta, and TikTok for similar reasons, stating that the platforms deceived users and parents about their apps' safety.
Griffin issued the following statement about the lawsuit:
“YouTube has deceived users and parents about the safety of its platforms for youth. YouTube has profited substantially off young Arkansans because it deliberately designed its platform to be addictive by using features to keep users engaged for as long as possible.
“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.
“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. This increase in mental health problems among children is the result of calculated efforts by social-media companies like YouTube to attract and addict youth to their platforms and to grow revenues without regard for the harmful effects that these companies know exist.”
To read a copy of the lawsuit, click here.
