Florida attorney general sues Snapchat over violation of state law

Описание: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Snap, Inc., the company behind the widely-used social media platform Snapchat, alleging the company violated Florida law by failing to protect minors from harmful content and online predators.

The lawsuit, filed late Monday evening in Santa Rosa County, cites violations of House Bill 3. The legislation passed in 2024 prohibits social media platforms from providing access to children under 14.

“We’re all about protecting families in Florida and keeping our streets safe,” Attorney General Uthmeier said during a press conference announcing the legal action. “And we’ve noticed a recurring trend — predators using these platforms to get to our kids.”

The attorney general detailed a recent case involving a registered sex offender posing as a teenager for months on the platform to solicit explicit images from minors.

“That's the, the inherent nature of Snapchat photos, messages. They're sent and immediately disappear, uh, which has made this a favorite application for the predators that are out there and want to get access to our kids. We’re going to be putting these bad guys away and we're going to be going after companies that operate in a dangerous manner that puts our kids at risk," Uthmeier said.

Uthmeier says the goal of this lawsuit is for the company to put the guardrails in place that will protect our kids. He is also encouraging parents to stay vigilant and take advantage of digital monitoring tools.

“The first thing is communicate. You got to be real with your kid and let them know there are dangerous people out there. If somebody is trying to message you and you don't know who that person is, you know, you don't have a preset friendship, it's not a kid from school, it's not a family member, it's just a stranger out there, you have to assume the worst," the attorney general added.