Snapchat was accused of failing to adequately respond to numerous reports of sextortion and child grooming on its platform, raising questions about its commitment to child safety.

A lawsuit lodged by New Mexico's Attorney General, Raúl Torrez, accuses Snapchat of being aware of rampant sex-related issues on its platform but failing to inform users or parents about them.

It also states that Snap reportedly received around 10,000 sextortion reports monthly, yet did not take sufficient action. One account remained active despite receiving 75 complaints related to explicit content and extortion.

And it reveals that former Snapchat trust and safety team members expressed frustrations over resistance from management when proposing safety measures - indicating a culture that prioritises user engagement over safety.

The lawsuit emphasises that Snap failed to alert the public about the severity of sextortion as a significant issue on their platform, which could have led to better protective measures for vulnerable users.

In response, Snap claims it has implemented various safety measures, is continuously improving its protocols and that design decisions have been made to protect minors from being located by strangers.

The accusations are seen to important questions about the responsibilities of Snap and other social media platforms in safeguarding younger users against exploitation, and about the effectiveness of their AI-powered content moderation systems.

Legal, regulatory 👩🏼‍⚖️

• State of New Mexico v Snap Inc

• New Mexico Department of Justice. Attorney General Raúl Torrez Files Unredacted Complaint Against Snapchat, Exposing Internal Messages that Snap Knowingly Contributed to Harm Amongst Children

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://apnews.com/article/snapchat-new-mexico-lawsuit-grooming-sextortion-c2dcabed0ed12ae40854a0018a2a1413

• https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/1/24259653/snap-new-mexico-ag-lawsuit-csam-kids-safety

• https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/new-mexico-attorney-general-says-internal-snap-documents-show-company-rcna173486

• https://www.inc.com/associated-press/new-mexicos-lawsuit-shows-snap-didnt-act-on-sextortion-reports/90983246

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snap-child-sexual-exploitation-new-mexico/