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Can I sue Snapchat?

by: Motley Rice

Yes, you may be eligible to sue Snapchat if you suffered harms. Parents whose children were harmed by Snapchat, adults who were harmed as minors, and school districts facing damages may be eligible. Social media attorneys can help you determine if you might be eligible to file a case against Snapchat and its parent company, Snap, Inc.

Who can sue Snapchat?

Three main groups may be eligible to file lawsuits against Snapchat, including:

  • Parents of harmed minors: If your family member has experienced harm as a result of using the Snapchat app or online platform, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit on their behalf. Harm could include social media addiction or mental health conditions like anxiety, depression or eating disorders.
  • Adults who were harmed as minors: If you’re an adult (between the ages of 18 and 25 years old) who experienced negative effects from using Snapchat as a minor, you may be eligible to sue Snapchat. Consider speaking to a lawyer if you developed social media addiction or mental health disorders after using Snapchat. 
  • Local governments and school districts: School districts may be able to file lawsuits for financial harm associated with the ongoing social media mental health crisis. You may be eligible if your schools had to increase funding for mental health services or related costs. Additionally, some schools may be eligible for property damages resulting from social media challenges. 

If you meet the requirements above, you may have legal standing to file a claim against Snapchat. Let’s take a look at some of the specific harms people are suing for.

Contact a Motley Rice attorney about suing Snapchat

Motley Rice is currently reviewing multiple allegations against social media companies such as Snapchat.

If you believe you were harmed by using the Snapchat app, you may be able to file a claim.

Talk to a Motley Rice lawyer to determine if you can sue Snapchat.

What can I sue Snapchat for?

You may be able to sue Snapchat for a range of harmful outcomes resulting from using the app. These include social media addiction, associated mental health disorders and other damages.

Snapchat poses significant risks, especially for young users. Snapchat has several harmful features, including disappearing “Snaps” and “My Eyes Only,” which encourage secrecy and hide potentially dangerous online behavior. Other features like “Quick Add” encourage Snapchat users to connect with strangers and even reveal their location via the “Snap Map” feature.

These features encourage secrecy while hiding information and exposing children and young adults to online predators. In addition to providing information to strangers, some users experience anxiety and fear of missing out (FOMO) leading to depression as a result of location sharing via the app.
 
We’ll take a look at some of the specific harms that may qualify you to file a lawsuit.

Individuals and parents

Adults who were harmed as minors and parents of minors who experienced harm from using social media platforms might be eligible to sue. Here are some of the negative outcomes that might qualify:

  • Anxiety
  • Body image issues
  • Compulsive use
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders
  • Emotional distress
  • Harm from online predators
  • Self-harm
  • Sleep disturbances and insomnia
  • Social comparison
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions 

Emotional distress can cover a wide range of symptoms, including pain from the loss of a child. These examples are just some of the negative outcomes associated with social media addiction.

Need immediate support?

Are you experiencing thoughts of self-harm or having suicidal thoughts or need support for a loved one? If so, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or talk with their support team online.

Local governments and schools

Local governments and schools may be eligible to sue Snapchat or other social media companies for the following reasons:

  • Increased staffing to address the ongoing social media health crisis
  • Additional after-school support to offset decreased student learning
  • Diverted resources to investigate platform-related allegations
  • Repairs to property caused by addicted platform users

These are just some of the reasons schools may be able to file a lawsuit against social media companies like ByteDance, Google, Meta and Snap, Inc. If you think your school might be eligible, consult an attorney to discuss filing a Snapchat lawsuit.

How to sue Snapchat

A social media lawyer can walk you through questions about eligibility and build your case if you qualify.

Many social media cases are being handled in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) docket. The goal of a MDL is to organize individual lawsuits into a single jurisdiction to help streamline the litigation process.

As of May 2024, 455 pending lawsuits are in the social media MDL. In other words, 455 individuals and school districts have pending lawsuits against social media companies.

Our experience with Snapchat lawsuits

Motley Rice’s legal team has a long history of advocating for justice on behalf of those harmed by toxic exposures and other dangerous exposures, including those associated with social media. If you or a loved one have been harmed by using the Snapchat app, you may be eligible to file a claim.

If you believe you may have been harmed by social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok or YouTube, you can read more about our experience with social media harm. 
 

Sources
  1. Dunn TR, Langlais MR. “Oh, Snap!”: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Analyzing the Dark Side of Snapchat. The Journal of Social Media in Society. Dec. 2020;9(2):69-104.
  2. Inc. Snapchat Finally Acknowledges the Existence of Sexting With 'Memories'.
  3. United States District Court For The Northern District of California. In Re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation.
  4. United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. MDL Statistics Report - Distribution of Pending MDL Dockets by District.