Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that his office filed a lawsuit in Washington County District Court against social media company, Snap, Inc., the creator of the SnapChat platform.
The lawsuit alleges that Snap has engaged in deceptive and unconscionable acts that have caused substantial harm to Kansas consumers, particularly teenagers. The suit alleges that Snap falsely represents its Snapchat platform as safe for children, when in reality it is filled with content that is anything but safe.
The petition also alleges that Snap’s platform is intentionally designed to be addictive, which is harmful to young minds.
“Snapchat has been marketed as a safe place for teens. We allege it is not. The company knowingly designed an app with manipulative features that prey on the mental health of our children. They have prioritized profit over safety, and our lawsuit holds them accountable for the devastating harm caused to Kansas families,” Kobach said.
The lawsuit alleges that Snap knowingly misrepresented the app’s safety to parents and consumers by promoting it with “12+” and “T for Teen” age ratings on app stores, while simultaneously exposing users to dangerous and mature content that includes profanity, sex content, nudity, and drug use.
The lawsuit cites that Snap’s own internal investigations reveal concerns about the addictive nature of its platform and its potential harm to users.
“Our investigation found that Snap’s design encourages addiction and compulsive use with features that are intentionally designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of young minds,” Advisor to the Attorney General Joseph Sciarrotta said. “From Snapstreaks that create immense social pressure to an infinite scroll that eliminates natural stopping points, the platform is a digital trap for children. This action alleges that the company made deceptive and misleading claims about safety and parental controls that have contributed to an unacceptable mental health crisis among our youth.”
The lawsuit alleges multiple violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
Topics Lawsuits
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