Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, accusing the social media platform of inadequately informing parents about harmful content accessible to children and downplaying its addictive qualities.
The lawsuit claims that Snapchat, a free multimedia messaging app, is in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by marketing itself as suitable for children aged 12 and older while frequently exposing users to dangerous and mature content, including profanity, sexual material, nudity, and drug references.
In addition, the legal filing highlights specific app features, such as “Snapstreaks,” which incentivize daily usage and are alleged to negatively impact young users’ mental health due to their addictive nature.
Paxton stated, “I will not allow Snapchat to harm our kids by running a business designed to get Texas children addicted to a platform filled with obscene and destructive content. Parents have a fundamental right to know the dangers of the apps their kids are using and not be lied to by Big Tech companies.”
The attorney general is pursuing maximum civil penalties of $10,000 for each violation of the deceptive trade practices, with nine violations cited thus far. He is also seeking a court order to prevent Snapchat from marketing its app to children.
In response, representatives from Snap Inc. expressed strong disagreement with Paxton’s allegations, asserting that they misrepresent the platform’s operations. They emphasized the implementation of robust safety measures, including safety tutorials and partnerships with experts, to enhance the safety and privacy of their users.
This lawsuit is part of a broader trend of legal actions against major tech companies amid increasing conservative scrutiny. Earlier this year, Texas lawmakers reinforced regulations mandating social media platforms to safeguard minors from inappropriate online content. However, portions of this legislation have faced legal challenges, being deemed unconstitutionally vague.
Paxton has previously invoked this act to launch lawsuits against TikTok for allegedly allowing the app to bypass parental controls while still marketing it to users aged 12 and older, as well as against Roblox for exposing children to sexually explicit material.
