The attorney general of Florida announced a lawsuit against Snapchat after the popular social media platform allegedly failed to follow a state law meant to protect children from online predators.
The law signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered social media companies to restrict access to children under the age of 14, but Snapchat has continued to allow full access to minors, according to the lawsuit.
‘I can’t say enough to parents at home to scare you about the dangers that are out there. There are sick people out there, and they are using these social media applications to find their way into your homes to reach out to your kids.’
“Child predators are using these dangerous devices right here to get to our kids,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier on Tuesday.
The lawsuit says that Snapchat also subjects minor users to “addictive features” that can be destructive.
“I can’t say enough to parents at home to scare you about the dangers that are out there,” he added. “There are sick people out there, and they are using these social media applications to find their way into your homes to reach out to your kids. They’re deceptive, they lure them in, they prey upon them, they try to set up meetings, they ask for photos, and we’re not going to tolerate that.”
He said that other platforms may face similar lawsuits but that Snapchat just “happens to be one of the worst offenders.”
Uthmeier went on to connect unrestricted social media access to other social ills.
“We’re seeing increased mental health issues, increased suicides,” he said. “Kids are reacting and changing in a very dangerous way when they spend hours and hours on these platforms that, again, are designed to be addictive. So we’re going to be monitoring those things as well. We’ve got various consumer protection arguments that we’re raising.”
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