On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams made New York the first major city in the country to declare social media a public “mental health crisis,” comparing it to tobacco and guns.
In his third State of the City address, the Mayor called out platforms including TikTok, Facebook and YouTube for “fueling a mental health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features” and demanded they “take responsibility for this crisis.”
“We cannot standby and let Big Tech monetize our children’s privacy and jeopardize their mental health,” he declared.
Adams is right to call out Big Tech. It’s a great first step — but, amidst a public health crisis, we need actions in addition to words.
The mayor promised to “protect our kids from harm online” and “correct the crisis facing our children.” If he means business, it’s time to tackle phones in schools.
Of course, parents are the first line of defense when it comes to smartphones and social media. But the government has a role to play, especially in public schools.