In today’s digital world where social media plays a significant role in our daily lives, the safety of young users is a major concern for parents. Recent revelations from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico’s attorney general against Snap have raised serious questions about the company’s commitment to protecting minors on its platform. The lawsuit details how Snap employees were aware of alarming trends in sextortion and other harmful behaviours yet reportedly prioritised app design over necessary safety measures.
The unsealed lawsuit revealed that by November 2022, Snap staff were discussing around 10,000 user reports of sextortion each month. They acknowledged that this number likely represented only a small portion of the actual abuse, as many users face shame and other barriers to reporting.
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In one shocking instance, employees noted an account that had received 75 reports related to nudes, minors, and extortion, yet it remained active on the platform, reports The Verge.
Internal research from Snap indicated that over a third of teen girls and 30 percent of teen boys had been exposed to unwanted contact on the app. Despite this knowledge, the company allegedly failed to take adequate steps to enhance user safety.
“Former Snap trust and safety employees complained that ‘they had little contact with upper management, compared to their work at other social media companies, and that there was pushback in trying to add in-app safety mechanisms because [Snap CEO] Evan Spiegel prioritised design,’” the complaint says.
In a public statement, Snap defended its app as a safe space for communication among close friends, citing built-in safety measures and ongoing improvements. However, the lawsuit paints a different picture, revealing that employees had circulated a 2021 report highlighting cases of predators connecting with children as young as eight through Snapchat. The employees were reportedly concerned that implementing safety measures could infringe on user privacy and increase administrative costs.
The complaint also detailed issues with Snap’s features, like Quick Add, which could expose minors to predatory users. An executive noted the need for new strategies to protect vulnerable users without compromising the app’s experience. Snap eventually modified the Quick Add feature, limiting it to 13 to 17-year-olds’ accounts.
Additionally, the lawsuit pointed out Snap’s facilitation of illegal gun sales on its platform, with a shocking statistic of 50 posts related to such sales appearing daily.
These findings underscore the critical need for social media platforms to prioritise user safety, especially for young audiences, rather than merely focusing on design and engagement.