Pennsylvania attorney general sues Snapchat
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is continuing his fight against social media's negative impacts on children, now suing Snapchat, which, according to the Pew Research Center, is used by half of American teens every day.
The move comes two weeks after Sunday filed a lawsuit against TikTok and as his office remains engaged in a multistate suit against Meta.
"Modern technology, for all of its vast benefits, has really opened up a Wild West of potential threats to our children," Sunday said. "Snapchat keeps users in its grip by providing an engrossing experience from the moment the users tap open the app."
Like the others, the civil complaint filed in Philadelphia County Court on Tuesday alleges breaches of the state's consumer protection laws based on the platform's addictive design and dishonest marketing, claiming the company is choosing profit at the cost of youth mental health.
"We allege that Snapchat knowingly lies to consumers about how often adult-themed material such as drug use, suicidal ideation and sexual content appear on its platform," Sunday said.
He said the platform does this to get an age 13+ rating in app stores, something parents rely on to make recommendations for their kids.
However, what separates Snapchat from its competitors, Sunday said, are its features that lead to compulsive use, like a daily streak symbolized with a flame.
"Snapchat ingrains in our kids' mentality, the more I am on Snap, the more friends I will have, and the more socially accepted I will be," Sunday said.
Then he said it is a fact that photos, videos, and messages sent quickly disappear, claiming this tool encourages kids to post things they might otherwise not and draws in predators and cyberbullies with a sense of freedom.
"We all know that once something is sent or posted on the internet, it is never truly gone. But do our kids know that?" Sunday said.
"Their brains just aren't fully formed yet, and they get pleasure out of what they're looking at, and they're not recognizing the consequences," Dr. Gary Swanson, child psychiatrist with Allegheny Health Network, said.
Swanson said, like smoking and drinking, there should be restrictions on social media.
"I know that's going to be a very hard thing because that genie's out of the bottle. All these kids have access," Swanson said.
Sunday is pushing for more safeguards, and design and marketing changes with this suit, saying he will keep exploring possible action against other companies as well.
"Protecting children is one of the absolute priorities of my office, and we're going to continue to do so," Sunday said.
KDKA-TV reached out to Snapchat for comment. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
"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."
