Top Utah officials are suing Snap Inc., which owns the social media platform Snapchat, and accusing it of creating an algorithm addicting children to the app, as well as enabling the illegal sales of drugs and sexual exploitation.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and state Attorney General Derek Brown filed the lawsuit on Monday, saying Snap “profits from unconscionable design features created to addict children to the app, and facilitates illegal drug sales and sextortion.”
The image-sharing app allows users to send pictures that disappear after they are viewed, which the lawsuit states is a “favored tool for drug dealers and sexual predators targeting children.”
The lawsuit details four cases where men groomed, sexually abused or assaulted children through Snapchat since 2021. It also lists the arrest of a drug dealer running a “truly massive” drug ring through Snapchat in 2019.
The lawsuit also alleges that the platform’s AI feature, “My AI,” which allows users to send text, pictures and video to it, “comes as states confront the harsh realities of AI technology’s impact on children.” The lawsuit accuses the AI model of “hallucinating false information and giving dangerous advice” to users, including minors.
“Tests on underage accounts have shown My AI advising a 15-year-old on how to hide the smell of alcohol and marijuana; and giving a 13-year-old account advice on setting the mood for a sexual experience with a 31-year-old,” the lawsuit states.
“This lawsuit against Snap is about accountability and about drawing a clear line: the well-being of our children must come before corporate profits,” Cox said in a statement. “We won’t sit back while tech companies exploit young users.”
The state also accuses Snap of deceiving users and their parents about the safety of its platform, noting it violates the Utah Consumer Privacy Act by not informing users of their data-sharing practices and failing to allow users to opt out of sharing their data. It states that the AI feature still collects user geolocation data even when “Ghost Mode,” which hides users’ location from other users, is activated.
“Snap’s commitment to user safety is an illusion,” the lawsuit reads. “Its app is not safe, it is dangerous.”
The Hill has reached out to Snap Inc. for comment.
The filing is Utah’s fourth lawsuit filed against social media companies, following lawsuits against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok.
Utah is not the first state to sue the platform for its impact on children. In April, Florida sued the platform as well, making similar allegations about its harm to children.
