Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday (R) filed a lawsuit against Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, alleging the social media platform fails to protect children from compulsive use. The complaint, announced Tuesday, claims the company misleads users regarding the frequency of adult-themed material to maintain a 13+ age rating in app stores.
The legal action follows a similar complaint filed by Sunday against TikTok several weeks ago. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office argues that Snapchat's design violates state consumer protection laws by prioritizing user engagement over safety.
The lawsuit specifically names features like 'Snap Streaks,' which tracks daily interaction between users, as a tool that allegedly influences a child's self-worth. It also contends that Snapchat’s disappearing messages and photos encourage users to share content they otherwise would not. A Snap spokesperson stated the allegations 'fundamentally misrepresent' the platform, noting it was built to encourage authentic connection with friends rather than a content feed.
A ruling in favor of the state could force Snap to alter its core features, such as the disappearing message function and the streak counter, for all users in Pennsylvania. Families and young users would notice changes in how the app operates, potentially losing the metrics that currently track consecutive days of communication. The Attorney General stated that the goal of the litigation is to ensure transparency so that parents, who may not have time to explore every digital platform, can make informed decisions about their children's social media consumption.
The case also sets a precedent for how state consumer protection laws are applied to social media companies' internal design choices. If successful, the lawsuit could lead to similar actions against other technology firms regarding the 'addictiveness' of their software. Snap expressed disappointment that the Attorney General chose litigation over collaborative safety efforts. The legal proceedings are now pending, and the company has not yet announced a formal date for its response in court.