Credit: Commonwealth Media Services
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday filed a lawsuit this week against Snapchat owner Snap Inc. over allegations the social media giant failed to warn users about the app’s addictive nature and failed to protect youth from compulsive use.
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The Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief was filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office is seeking revised app store listings from California-based Snap Inc. and is demanding the company implement measures to safeguard children from developing app addictions.
Snapchat misrepresents how often adult material appears on the platform in order to secure a 13+ age rating in app stores, according to the lawsuit, which added the adult material included sexual content, nudity, drug use, and suicidal ideation
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Sunday’s office pointed to certain features unique to the platform, including SnapStreaks and disappearing posts, are key drivers of compulsive use among teenagers.
“Snapchat lures young users into an emersion of infinite scroll and constant view and send,” Sunday said.
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Sunday, a Republican, identified the app’s disappearing messages, which vanish shortly after viewing or within 24 hours, as a main component of its design.
The temporary nature of these posts can create a false sense of security, encouraging teenagers to share racy or explicit photos or other material they would not typically post on public social media platforms, the attorney general said.
“We all know that once something is sent or posted on the internet, it is never truly gone. But do our kids know it? And if they do, can they fully grasp the ramifications of that?” Sunday said. “A simple screenshot can turn what they thought was a temporary photo into a permanent nightmare.”
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State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican from Montgomery County, has advocated for more safeguards to protect children on social media and using big tech platforms.
She joined Sunday and said Snap used the features on its popular app without regard for children, putting advertising revenue over safety.
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Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that approximately 50 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 use Snapchat daily, with 13 percent reporting they use the platform “almost constantly.”
“Snapchat has designed its platform to lure children into constant, compulsive use that is detrimental to healthy adolescent development,” Sunday said in a statement. “This lawsuit demands that Snapchat finally admit publicly that its platform is highly addictive and that it takes real action to keep kids safe.”
In a response to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Snap Inc. disputed the lawsuit’s claims. The statement said the legal action misrepresents the app and pointed to its existing safety features for parents and youth.
“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,” the company said.
The action against Snap Inc. follows separate litigation Sunday filed against TikTok earlier this month. Pennsylvania is also participating in a multi-state lawsuit in California targeting Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.