- West Virginia AG JB McCuskey filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, alleging the platform deceived parents and children about its safety measures and exposed minors to sexual exploitation, harmful content, and features designed to encourage excessive use. The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat failed to adequately address reports of child exploitation.
- According to company records cited in the complaint, 96.7% of reported accounts did not result in a review, while 86.3% of sexually explicit content identified by the company’s systems expired before being reviewed. The complaint also challenges Snapchat’s disappearing message feature, alleging it can eliminate evidence needed by parents and law enforcement investigating online exploitation. The state also alleges Snapchat limited parental oversight through its Family Center feature and used addictive engagement tools, including “Snapstreaks” and endless scroll feeds.
- AG McCuskey raised concerns about Snapchat’s My AI chatbot, alleging it was released to minors without sufficient safety testing and provided inappropriate guidance to users who identified themselves as children. The lawsuit further alleges the chatbot could access location information despite users enabling “Ghost Mode” and that private conversations were shared with third-party companies.