Mom sues Snapchat over sexual content

When Evan Spiegel launched Snapchat in 2011, he advertised the messaging app with a racy photoshoot of two bikini-clad girls.

The popular app, projected for explosive growth over the next two years, hasn’t changed its game since. One frustrated mom has had enough, filing suit to demand the company protect minors, like her 14-year-old son, from sexual content in its new Discover stories section.

“Millions of parents in the United States today are unaware that Snapchat is curating and publishing this profoundly sexual and offensive content to their children,” the lawsuit states. “Snapchat has placed profit … over the safety of children.”

Snapchat Discover, started in January 2015, allows Snapchat’s media partners, such as Buzzfeed, ESPN, and Mashable, to share stories with its more than 150 million users. The stories appear among user-generated content at the top of the screen when users click on the app’s Stories section.

The boy from the lawsuit, a typical teenager, joined the Snapchat craze when his friends did. He was scrolling through the Stories section when a BuzzFeed article popped up. It showed his favorite Disney characters in sexually explicit poses, complete with descriptions. A few stories over, he saw a Vice article that included pictures of a performance artist being groped.

The boy showed his mother, Lynette Young, who was shocked Snapchat let him see such content without warning her first.

The family’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, filed suit on behalf of the Youngs and the millions of other minors who use the site. He claims the Snapchat stories violate the Communication Decency Act of 1996, which requires websites to warn parents about sexually explicit content.

The suit also accuses the app of negligence by routinely facilitating “sexting” among minors. Part of Snapchat’s appeal is the alleged impermanence of photos, which could encourage users to take pictures they might regret. Because of this, Apple’s app store rates Snapchat as only appropriate for users 12 years old and up, warning content could include “mild nudity.”

The Youngs’ lawsuit says more needs to be done. Geragos told the LA Times he’s received about 25 complaints about the easy access to explicit content on Snapchat. He is asking for warnings about adult content and the option for parental controls.

Snapchat released a statement saying it has not reviewed the lawsuit: “We are sorry if people are offended. Our Discover partners have editorial independence, which is something we support.”

But Snapchat’s partners told The Verge the company actually controls most of the content and presentation of the stories.

The Youngs likely face a tough legal battle. Judges have struck down most of the Communication Decency Act in the years since its adoption, in the face of First Amendment protection claims.