New York City said this Wednesday on social media in general “threats to the mental health” of minorssaid Mayor Eric Adams, who relied on a report from the city’s Department of Mental Health.

Adams compared the impact of social media on youth to what it was in the past tobacco and guns,” “and that’s exactly how we’re going to treat social media: as just another health threat that needs to be stopped. We must ensure that technology companies They take responsibility for their products,” the mayor said in his address to the city.

It’s unclear what the appointment will entail or what tools City Hall has to combat social media, which is now in the hands of some of the most powerful companies in the country, such as big tech companies.

Adams recalled that the Internet world poses numerous risks to students and that “companies like TIK TakYouTube and Facebook are spreading mental health crisis by creating addictive features on their platforms.”

“We cannot stand by and allow big tech companies to monetize our children’s privacy,” said the mayor, who boasted that he had transformed NY in the first American city to take this step.

The mental health report Adams relied on said 77% high school students In their free time, they spend three hours or more a day in front of a screen, and although he did not trace the direct cause, he recalled that in 2021, a study found that 38% of high school students experienced feelings of despair that led them to despair. stop your usual activities.