Virgin Islands Sues Snap, Alleging Snapchat Endangers Children Through Sextortion, Drugs, Guns and Addictive Design

The V.I. Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs has followed its lawsuit against Meta with another sweeping action against a social media giant, this time accusing Snap Inc. of designing Snapchat in ways that expose children to sexual exploitation, sextortion, illegal drugs and firearms while using features intended to keep young users compulsively engaged.

The 106-page civil complaint filed in V.I. Superior Court accuses Snap of unfair, deceptive and unconscionable business practices, alleging that the company publicly portrays Snapchat as a safer alternative to other social media platforms while knowing that its own design features expose children to significant risks.

According to the lawsuit, Snap has attempted to “distance itself from aspects of social media that have been linked to increases in anxiety, depression and other mental health issues among youth,” while Snapchat remains “a prolific and harmful source of child sexual abuse material and harm-inducing features on children’s electronic devices.”

DLCA alleges that the problem extends beyond harmful material posted by individual users. The lawsuit contends that Snapchat’s recommendation systems can actively connect young users with dangerous accounts and facilitate “sextortion and the trafficking of children, drugs, and guns.”