Texas AG accuses Snapchat of exposing minors to explicit content and addictive features

MCKINNEY, Texas (CN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Snap Inc., the company that operates Snapchat, claiming it has falsely marketed the platform as safe for minors even though Snapchat hosts explicit content and utilizes addictive features.

In a complaint filed in Collin County District Court, Paxon claims Snap Inc. has violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by listing Snapchat’s age range as “12+” on the Apple App Store and “T for Teen,” indicating it is suitable for users ages 13 and older, on the Google Play and Microsoft Stores. In order to receive these age ratings, Paxton claims, Snap Inc. reports to the app stores that mature content on Snapchat, including alcohol, drugs, nudity and profanity, is “infrequent” and “mild.”

“Those representations are lies,” Paxton writes. “The Snapchat app is rife with extremely mature content in all of those categories, which is frequently and easily accessible at the fingertips and swipes of Texas children and teenagers.”

Paxton also claims Snapchat harms young users by utilizing certain features that make the platform addictive and that Snap Inc. has failed to disclose this to consumers. One feature the lawsuit highlights as particularly problematic is “Snapstreaks,” which record the number of consecutive days two users have exchanged snaps with each other. Snapchat warns users if they are about to lose a streak, which Paxton says promotes “compulsive use” of the platform.

“Young users often view Snapstreaks as evidence of the strength of their real-life friendships, and they feel immense pressure to continue them for fear of losing their streak and potentially upsetting their real-life friends,” Paxton writes.

Paxton further accuses Snap Inc. of violating Texas’ Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment — or SCOPE — Act, a law passed in 2023 that requires social media platforms to implement certain protections for minor users. The act requires platforms to utilize “commercially reasonable” methods to verify parents’ identities and to create tools to allow parents to monitor minors’ social media use.

Paxton claims Snapchat does not provide parents with sufficient tools to monitor their children’s use of the platform, that it does not verify parents’ identities, that it gives minor users “sole discretion” to accept or reject their parents’ access to what parental controls it does offer and that it unnecessarily requires parents to create an account on the platform to be able to access these controls.

Paxton also claims Snap Inc. has violated the SCOPE Act by sharing and selling minors’ personal information without parental consent. He asks the court to issue a civil monetary penalty against the company and to enjoin it from continuing to violate the SCOPE Act and make false representations about the safety of its platform.

“I will not allow Snapchat to harm our kids by running a business designed to get Texas children addicted to a platform filled with obscene and destructive content,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “Parents have a fundamental right to know the dangers of the apps their kids are using and not be lied to by Big Tech companies. This lawsuit will hold Snapchat accountable for illegally undermining parental rights, deceiving consumers, and for putting children in danger.”

Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against TikTok last year.

In a statement to Courthouse News Service, a spokesperson for Snap Inc. said Paxton’s lawsuit “fundamentally distorts how our platform works.”

“There is no single safety measure or policy that can eliminate every potential risk online — just as there isn’t offline,” the spokesperson said. “That’s why we’ve implemented strong safeguards, introduced safety tutorials and resources, partnered with experts, and continue investing in features and tools that support the safety, privacy, and well-being of all Snapchatters.”