Pennsylvania’s Republican attorney general is taking on Snapchat.
Attorney General Dave Sunday filed suit Tuesday against Snap Inc., accusing the social media giant of designing its platform to keep children compulsively engaged while misleading parents about the content young users can encounter.
The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia County Court, alleges Snapchat has marketed itself as appropriate for users as young as 13 while understating the prevalence of sexual content, nudity, drug use and other mature material. Sunday is seeking changes to how the app is marketed and designed, along with civil penalties under Pennsylvania’s consumer protection law.
At the center of the case are some of Snapchat’s defining features.
Sunday’s office points to “Snapstreaks,” which reward users for maintaining consecutive days of interaction, arguing the feature exploits young users’ fear of missing out and encourages compulsive use. The lawsuit also targets Snapchat’s disappearing-message design, which the state argues can give minors a false sense of security when sharing revealing images or engaging in risky behavior.
“Snapchat has designed its platform to lure children into constant, compulsive use that is detrimental to healthy adolescent development,” Sunday said in announcing the lawsuit.
Snap pushed back, saying the allegations misrepresent both the platform and its approach to teen safety. The company said it shares the attorney general’s goal of protecting young people online but was disappointed Pennsylvania chose litigation over collaboration.
The lawsuit is Sunday’s second major move against a social media company this month. Earlier in August, his office sued TikTok over similar allegations involving addictive design and age-inappropriate content.
Now, Sunday is widening the fight.
