19:35Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Pennsylvania Sues Snapchat
Pennsylvania has sued Snap, alleging that Snapchat’s age rating for teenagers does not reflect the actual content on the platform. In a lawsuit filed in a Philadelphia court on August 25, Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday accused Snap of violating the state’s consumer protection law. One of the key pieces of evidence in the case is the content encountered through a Snapchat account that an Attorney General’s Office employee created on a new iPhone while posing as a 13-year-old user. Snapchat has a 13+ age rating in the Apple App Store. The app’s description states that profanity, sexual content, material related to drugs and alcohol, and other mature themes appear only rarely. In the Google Play and Microsoft stores, Snapchat is in the “Teen” category. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office believes these classifications do not accurately reflect the reality of the app.
Videos related to drugs and alcohol were allegedly accessible through the 13-year-old user account created for the investigation. According to the state, the availability of such material through a teenager’s account shows that Snapchat’s age rating in app stores is misleading. Pennsylvania’s lawsuit is not limited to the age rating. The Attorney General’s Office also alleges that Snapchat does not provide users with enough information about the platform’s potentially addictive features. The complaint specifically cites features such as the infinite feed, autoplay, push notifications, disappearing posts, Snapscore, Snapstreak, and Charms. Snap disagrees with Pennsylvania’s allegations. A company spokesperson said the accusations misrepresent the Snapchat platform and the company’s approach to teen safety. Snap emphasizes that, unlike traditional social networks, Snapchat was designed primarily to encourage communication between friends rather than engagement with a content feed.
Videos related to drugs and alcohol were allegedly accessible through the 13-year-old user account created for the investigation. According to the state, the availability of such material through a teenager’s account shows that Snapchat’s age rating in app stores is misleading. Pennsylvania’s lawsuit is not limited to the age rating. The Attorney General’s Office also alleges that Snapchat does not provide users with enough information about the platform’s potentially addictive features. The complaint specifically cites features such as the infinite feed, autoplay, push notifications, disappearing posts, Snapscore, Snapstreak, and Charms. Snap disagrees with Pennsylvania’s allegations. A company spokesperson said the accusations misrepresent the Snapchat platform and the company’s approach to teen safety. Snap emphasizes that, unlike traditional social networks, Snapchat was designed primarily to encourage communication between friends rather than engagement with a content feed.