Snapchat Accused of Facilitating Child Sexual Abuse in New Mexico Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by New Mexico on Thursday (September 5) claims that certain design features of Snapchat have made it a preferred platform for sexual criminals who target children. The lawsuit is directed towards Snap, which operates the popular social media app.

Snapchat Faces Accusations of Child Sexual Exploitation

In a news release, Attorney General Raúl Torrez revealed the findings of a state undercover investigation, which uncovered the alarming fact that Snapchat has created an environment that makes it easy for predators to target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse.

Torrez claimed that Snap has deceived users by giving them the false impression that photos and videos shared on their platform will disappear, but predators can save this content permanently.

A recent discovery by the New Mexico Department of Justice has unveiled a disturbing network of dark websites. These sites have been found to distribute stolen, nonconsensual sexual images from Snap, with an alarming number of over 10,000 records related to Snap and child sexual abuse material in just the past year, said CBS News.

According to the agency, the information also covers cases of sexual assault involving minors under the age of 13.

Authorities established a false Snapchat profile for a 14-year-old girl named Heather. Using this account, they engaged in conversations with individuals operating predatory accounts, such as those with disturbing names like "child.rape" and "pedo_lover10," according to officials.

According to a recent lawsuit, over 20 million teenagers in the United States are active users of Snapchat. Additionally, it was found that half of all teens in the country use the app daily.

Snapchat Is Reviewing the Lawsuit

Torrez is employing a familiar approach that has proven effective in his legal battle against Meta. He is focusing on the design of Snapchat's feature, which allows him to sidestep more complicated issues surrounding freedom of speech.

A judge has ruled that the complaint against Meta cannot be dismissed based on Section 230, the legal protection that protects tech platforms from being held accountable for their users' speech, according to The Verge.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals achieved a recent legal victory regarding lawsuits related to misleading product claims. It allowed a lawsuit against a Snapchat-based anonymous messaging app called Yolo, saying it had falsely promised to expose the accounts of harassing users.

In this Snap lawsuit, Torrez asks the court to order the company to stop its allegedly illegal behavior, pay penalties, and discharge any unjustly obtained profits.

Snap spokesperson Russ Caditz-Peck said the company is reviewing the lawsuit and would respond in court.