Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday sued Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP) on Tuesday, accusing the Snapchat parent of designing features that keep children compulsively engaged while misleading families about age-inappropriate content and platform risks.
Pennsylvania Targets Snapchat’s Addictive Design Features
"Once they have you signed up and logged in, you are officially in their clutches," Sunday said. "From there, Snapchat essentially says good luck getting out."
The complaint, filed in Philadelphia County Court, alleges Snapchat understates sexual content, drug use and suicidal ideation to maintain a 13+ app-store rating. Sunday wants Snap to change how it markets the platform and protects minors.
"The lawsuit also demands that Snapchat finally come clean about the addictiveness of their app and takes real action to protect young users," Sunday said.
