New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc. on Thursday, accusing the company’s social media service Snapchat of failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation and addictive design features.
In the complaint, Torrez described Snapchat as “a breeding ground for predators,” stating that the platform’s design and algorithmic recommendations foster and promote illicit sexual material involving children, facilitate sextortion, and contribute to child exploitation. He emphasized that nearly every feature of the service is designed to attract and addict young people.
Torrez addressed specific concerns about Snapchat’s inability to accurately verify users’ real ages and the lack of effective parental controls for monitoring and reporting activity. He further accused Snap of creating algorithms and features that connect child sex predators to children. The complaint also alleged that Snap knowingly misled the public about the platform’s safety and design features, rendering its conduct unfair and deceptive.
Citing New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, Torrez asked the First Judicial District Court to abate the public nuisance created by Snap, claiming the company sacrificed the health and safety of a generation of children in favor of screen time and ad revenue.
In response, Snap released a public statement expressing its commitment to making Snapchat a safe and positive place, particularly for younger users.
New Mexico has previously targeted social media platforms with similar claims. Last year, the state filed a lawsuit against Meta, asserting the company’s platforms enabled child sexual exploitation. A judge denied Meta’s motion to dismiss the case in May. Other states have also taken legal actions against social media companies, arguing that these platforms exacerbate mental health issues and leave minors vulnerable to exploitation.
On a global scale, countries are implementing legislation to regulate social media for children’s safety. For example, France recently approved laws requiring social media platforms to implement age verification systems and obtain parental consent for users aged 15 and below. Additionally, the US Department of Justice recently sued TikTok and its parent company ByteDance for allegedly violating children’s privacy laws.