Eric Adams Says TikTok Is an ‘Environmental Toxin’

Photo: Luiz C. Ribeiro/NY Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Eric Adams took the stage at Hostos Community College in the Bronx to lay out his 2024 agenda during his annual State of the City address. The mayor touched on familiar topics, such as his goal to build 12,000 affordable units on public sites as well as his push for four more years of mayoral control over city schools. But then Adams went in a different direction.

“Companies like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook are fueling a mental-health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features. We cannot stand by and let Big Tech monetize our children’s privacy and jeopardize their mental health,” Adams said. “That’s why today, Dr. Ashwin Vasan is issuing a health commissioner advisory officially designating social media as a public-health hazard in New York City.”

The advisory issued by Dr. Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, recommends that young people develop “healthy habits” when it comes to their social-media usage, including placing certain time limits on social-media and tech use as well as sharing their concerns about mental health with adults. It also suggests that state and federal lawmakers take legislative steps to “further protect children and youth from predatory practices by social-media companies.” The measure was, ironically, highlighted on the mayor’s official X account in a post that deemed social media “an environmental toxin.”

Though its inclusion in the mayor’s speech might seem unusual, Adams has been critical of social media throughout his tenure. He’s previously connected it to car thefts that he said are spurred on by TikTok challenges, as well the deadly trend of subway surfing, which is often promoted through videos on platforms like Instagram. His administration held a summit on social media and its potential impact on children back in June.

“We are the first major city in America to take this step and call out the dangers of social media like this, just as the surgeon general did with tobacco and guns. We’re treating social media like other public-health hazards, and it must stop. We must ensure that tech companies take responsibility for their product,” he said.