Snapchat might seem like a fun, lighthearted app for sending goofy photos that disappear but for many families Snapchat has been a source of significant damage. If your child experienced mental health issues from addiction, involvement in a tragedy like a fentanyl overdose facilitated by Snapchat, or other injuries due to Snapchat’s features or misuse, we are here to help. Pritzker Hageman is investigating Snap Inc. to help young victims and their families. Our goal is to force Snapchat to implement a safer design and to compensate families for the devastation caused by the platform’s negligence.
We seek justice for the harms done to children and families by addictive and harmful social media apps.
Why Snapchat Is Part of This Problem
Snapchat differs from Instagram/TikTok in format, but it has proven harmful in its own ways:
- Ephemeral Messaging & “Secret” Content: Snapchat’s big “feature” is that Snaps disappear after viewing (and chats can be set to erase). This creates a sense of secrecy and urgency which teens love, but it’s also perfect for illicit activity. Kids feel emboldened to share risky photos or messages, thinking “it will disappear.” Bullies use it to send cruel messages that won’t be saved. Predators use it because they feel it covers their tracks. And crucially, drug dealers found Snapchat to be a safe space to sell pills to teens, since there’s less trace evidence. The disappearing design, therefore potentially leads to serious danger as it encourages impulsivity and enables wrongdoing. Lawsuits argue this design is defective because it knowingly facilitates harm (Snap could choose to log and monitor more, or offer an option to parents to retain messages, etc.).
- Addictive Features: Snapchat introduced streaks (counting consecutive days two users message each other), which might seem trivial, but many teens become obsessed with maintaining streaks with their friends, logging in multiple times a day to avoid breaking one. This gamification contributes to social media compulsion. They also have Snap Map (showing locations of friends) which, aside from privacy concerns, can cause anxiety or FOMO if a teen sees friends together without them. It’s a subtler mental health impact, but it adds to the social pressures.
- Augmented Reality (AR) Filters: The playful lenses (dog ears, rainbow vomit, etc.) are mostly harmless fun, but some filters have had dangerous outcomes. The most infamous was the “Speed Filter”, which showed how fast you were moving and overlaid it on a Snap – some teens and young adults recklessly drove at high speeds to post on Snapchat, leading to fatal car crashes. Several years ago, a high-profile lawsuit involved young men who died in a crash; their parents sued Snap claiming the speed filter incentivized the deadly behavior. Initially dismissed based on claims it was user generated content and not from Snap, it was later reinstated after an appeal, setting precedent that Snap could be liable for this feature since it’s the design (filter) at issue, not user content. Snap has since disabled the precise speedometer, but only after numerous tragedies. This shows Snap’s pattern of reacting too late.
- Snapchat and Drugs (Fentanyl Crisis): Perhaps the most chilling aspect: Snapchat has been tied to a string of teen fentanyl poisoning deaths. Dealers used code emojis and slang to advertise pills (like “M30” oxycodone pills that are often counterfeit laced with fentanyl) via Snapchat, targeting young buyers. A kid might think they’re getting a Percocet or Xanax from someone they met on Snap, not knowing it’s fentanyl. Dozens of families whose children died from fentanyl-laced pills have come forward pointing to Snapchat as the medium that connected dealer and teen. The Social Media Victims Law Center (another firm) filed a major lawsuit on behalf of multiple families against Snap for this exact reason. They argue that Snap was aware this was happening and didn’t do enough (like monitoring known drug terms, or blocking dealer accounts proactively). Snapchat claims they work with law enforcement and improve detection, but clearly, it wasn’t sufficient. If your family suffered such a loss or close call (overdose where thankfully the child survived), we can pursue Snap for wrongful death or negligence.
Ongoing Litigation and Evidence Against Snap
Snap Inc. (maker of Snapchat) is also a defendant in a large federal case and various state cases. Some key points:
- Product Liability : Courts have allowed suits focusing on Snap’s features (like filters or lack of parental controls) to go ahead. In California’s coordinated cases, claims such as failure to warn and design defect against Snap have not been entirely dismissed. This is encouraging.
- Company Admissions: Snap’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, was deposed in the litigation and, while the deposition is not public, it signals how serious this is. Under oath, Snap executives may have to admit what they knew about issues like drug sales or mental health impacts.
- Senate and Law Enforcement Scrutiny: U.S. Senators and agencies have grilled Snap about the fentanyl issue. In 2023, Senator Chuck Grassley publicly criticized Snapchat for failing to curb drug dealings on the platform after multiple deaths. This kind of official scrutiny provides external validation for our claims – Snap can’t just brush it off as rare incidents. It’s a pattern.
- User Data and Privacy vs Safety: Snap often hides behind its privacy ethos (disappearing messages, encryption) to say “we can’t just read everything.” However, our argument is that Snap created a safe haven for illegal/harmful behavior and marketed it to youth. They can’t just shrug off responsibility for consequences. For instance, they enabled a “quick add” feature where friends-of-friends or algorithmic suggestions connect strangers – teens have reported getting added by sketchy unknown accounts offering drugs or asking for inappropriate pictures. Snap designed that growth feature but didn’t consider the safety implications.
Contact our social media harm legal team today and find out how you can get compensation and justice
1-888-377-8900 (Toll-Free) | attorneys@pritzerlaw.com
How We Build Snapchat Cases
Depending on what happened, our investigation tactics include:
- For addiction/mental health: We gather evidence of how often the child was on Snap (sometimes screen time records or testimony from friends about the child’s fixation on streaks, etc.). We tie usage to outcomes like declining school performance or diagnosis of anxiety. We highlight Snap-specific factors (like the pressure of streaks or cyberbullying that happened via Snap).
- For bullying/harassment: We may collect screenshots (if any were taken) or witness statements about what was happening on Snapchat. Even though messages disappear, often victims save evidence or at least can recount the nature of abuse (e.g., daily messages telling a teen “kill yourself” – that has happened). If Snap had reports from the victim (maybe the child used the in-app report function) and did nothing, that’s key evidence of negligence.
- For drug cases: We coordinate with law enforcement if possible. Many times, police may have arrested a dealer connected to an overdose; they might have records linking them to Snapchat. We also use expert testimony (like from former DEA agents or social media safety experts) to explain how Snap’s design facilitated the illegal drug transaction. We would demand to see Snap’s internal safety records to see if they even attempted to detect code words. Did they have the tech to scan images for pills? If not, they arguably should.
- For cases like dangerous filters or other dangerous features: We’ll demonstrate Snap had knowledge it was being misused. In one speed filter lawsuit, evidence showed Snap had been warned about it and kept it up for a long time. If new features pose risk (like any challenge filter encouraging something risky), we’ll probe Snap’s testing and response.
Why Choose Pritzker Hageman for Your Snapchat Case
Our firm brings strong litigation experience and compassionate counsel to these tough cases. Many of our attorneys are parents too and we empathize deeply with families facing these modern dangers. We’re also relentless in pursuing truth from corporations. Snap Inc. might try to avoid revealing internal documents, but we fight tenaciously in court to obtain them. When we handle a case, we leave no stone unturned.
Additionally, we collaborate with networks of attorneys focusing on social media cases. For example, if a case is part of the national MDL cases, we ensure your voice is heard in that process, and if it’s separate (like a standalone wrongful death suit in state court), we tailor our approach to to each individual state.
Steps to Take if Snapchat Harmed Your Child
- Document What You Can: Save any relevant information. For instance, if your child has spoken about what happened on Snap, write it down. If they still have the app, there might be some data (Snapchat allows you to download limited data like login times, friend lists, etc.). We can help with evidence preservation too. If the data is still there, we can send a demand to Snap to preserve an account’s data.
- Get Support: If not already, ensure your child (and family) has emotional support. Legal action can coincide with healing, but we always put the child’s well-being first. If you need resources (like connecting with a therapist knowledgeable about social media addiction), we might be able to suggest some, as we’re building a network of professionals in this arena.
- Consult Us For Free: Talk to our team. We’ll go through what happened in detail, and we’ll be honest about legal options. Some cases might be more straightforward (e.g., a documented overdose from a Snap deal), others might require more digging (e.g., “My teen is depressed and uses Snapchat a lot” – we’d explore if Snap had specific triggers). We won’t know until we speak, so don’t hesitate. Even if you’re simply unsure but worried, the consultation costs nothing.
Snapchat needs to face consequences for prioritizing “ephemeral fun” and user growth over safety. By taking action, you join a movement of parents demanding safer social media. Already, as a result of pressure, Snapchat has started making small changes (like better parental control features), but we believe only the weight of legal accountability will lead to meaningful protection.
Pritzker Hageman is committed to seeing this through. We believe in “clients first” – you’ll never be just another case to us. We know your family’s story represents countless others, and we treat it with the importance it deserves. If we take your case, it means we strongly believe in it, and we will devote ourselves to getting you answers, justice, and hopefully preventing the same harm from striking another family.
Contact us today if you are considering a Snapchat-related lawsuit. We are available 24/7 to listen and help. We are ready to hold Snap Inc. accountable and make social media safer for our kids.