Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the owners of a popular social media platform on Tuesday, alleging the social media company puts children at risk.
Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday says children are becoming addicted to Snapchat and wants the company – Snap, Inc. – to reveal how it markets its app.
Sunday also says Snapchat misleads consumers about how often adult-themed material appears on its platform.
“Snapchat has designed its platform to lure children into constant, compulsive use that is detrimental to healthy adolescent development,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This lawsuit demands that Snapchat finally admit publicly that its platform is highly addictive and that it takes real action to keep kids safe.”
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of all teens between the ages of 13 and 17 are daily users of SnapChat.
“The allegations against Snap fundamentally misrepresent our platform and our approach to teen safety. Snapchat was designed differently from the beginning: it opens to a camera, not a feed of content, and was built to encourage self-expression and authentic connection with friends. We share the Attorney General’s commitment to protecting young people online and are disappointed they have chosen litigation rather than working with us toward that shared goal. We remain focused on strengthening and enhancing the safeguards, tools, and educational resources that support the safety, privacy, and well-being of all Snapchatters,” a spokesperson for Snap Company wrote in a statement to NBC10.
Parts of this story were originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
