Snapchat faces lawsuit for child exploitation claims

New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc, alleging that Snapchat’s design facilitates the sharing of child sexual exploitation material. Attorney General Raul Torrez stated that a months-long investigation found Snapchat to be a key platform for sextortion, where predators coerce minors into sending explicit content.

Snap said it is reviewing the complaint and will respond in court. The company has invested significant funds into trust and safety measures and continues to work with law enforcement and safety experts to combat such issues.

Snapchat is widely used by teens due to its disappearing message feature, which has been criticised for misleading users. According to Torrez, predators can permanently capture the content, creating a virtual collection of child sexual images that are shared indefinitely.

Investigators opened a decoy Snapchat account as part of the investigation, discovering 10,000 records of child sexual abuse material on the dark web. Snapchat was identified as a major source for such content in these sites. New Mexico also sued Meta last December for similar reasons.