Snapchat
sued for exposing children to smutty articles
A law firm in Los Angeles
has sued Snapchat for exposing children to “harmful, offensive, prurient, and
sexually offensive content.” Snapchat
has failed to notify users that parental control systems are offered on the app
to be able to limit the amount of harmful content minors have access too. The Terms of Service does not include any
notice about the possible inappropriate content on Snapchat Discover. Buzzfeed,
People, Cosmopolitan, MTV, and other media sources provide articles for the
app. Most of the articles are
informative, educational or meant for pure entertainment, but some of the
material is not meant for children’s eyes.
“Geragos hopes to
convince a court to allow the case to become a class action suit. He brought it
in the name of a minor child identified only as John Doe. When the suit refers
to minors, it means people between the ages of 13 and 18. Under Snapchat’s own Terms of Service, no one
under the age of 13 is allowed to create an account on or use the service.”
The Discover partners are
able to choose what they write about, and Snapchat doesn’t want to change that
agreement. Given that policy it is almost impossible to filter out the material
deemed inappropriate to minors. Snapchat
does apologize for everyone offended but they cannot control what goes on the
app and what does not.
What do you think these
allegations will do to Snapchat’s image? Also, do you think this will hurt
Snapchats success?
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