Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.

Arkansas has filed a lawsuit against YouTube, alleging the platform contributes to mental health issues among the state's youth.

In the filing, Arkansas stated that YouTube’s design strategy seems to prioritise keeping young users engaged through content that triggers dopamine hits, leading to addiction. According to the lawsuit,

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against YouTube in Phillips County Circuit Court claiming that the online video sharing platform engaged in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The lawsuit claims YouTube was deliberately designed to be as addictive as possible. As a result, Alphabet profits off the mental health issues of Arkansas teenagers. A spokesperson for Google told 40/29 News the company works with mental health and parenting experts to provide young people with safe, healthy experiences.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued YouTube claiming the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive.