Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., asserting that the social media giant is endangering children through its Snapchat platform. The legal action accuses the company of violating Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and HB 3, a state law that regulates social media use by minors. Specific claims include Snapchat's use of addictive design features which allegedly deceive parents about the platform's safety for children.
The core of the lawsuit points to Snapchat's employment of features such as infinite scrolling, push notifications, and auto-play videos, alongside user engagement tools like SnapStreaks, as cited by the Attorney General. These elements are flagged in HB 3, a 2023 regulation that bars social media accounts for users under 13 and mandates parental consent for teens aged 14 and 15 if addictive features are used. The lawsuit argues that Snapchat fails to adhere to these regulations, thereby putting minors at risk.
Snap Inc. is also accused of marketing its platform as safe for adolescents as young as 13, despite internal recognition of its non-compliance with HB 3's provisions. The state further argues that Snapchat inadequately shields minors from harmful content, including profanity, sexual material, and drug use depictions, as well as failing to protect them from potential predators and drug dealers. According to Insider Monkey, these allegations challenge Snap Inc.'s responsibility towards safeguarding its young user base.