14 DAY TRIAL // The Internet is truly the place where you can find all sorts of information, even the kind that you weren’t looking for in the first place. This is even more prominent in social networking applications. A class-action lawsuit has recently been filed against Snapchat, claiming that the app routinely serves sexually explicit content to minors without warning.
Snapchat has just been slapped with a lawsuit, since a 14-year-old boy and his mother from California argue that the application served sexually explicit content without warning in its Discover section, according to The Verge. The content is said to have been provided earlier this month.
The lawsuit says that the Discover section often offers access to sexually explicit content without warning parents of this chance. This is in violation of the Communications Decency Act. The lawsuit also mentions that “Snapchat has placed profit from monetizing Discover over the safety of children.”
Snapchat is rated in the App Store as being appropriate for children aged 12 and older, and its terms of service restrict usage to children who are 13 and older. The App Store entry mentions that the application contains infrequent or mild sexual content, nudity, suggestive themes, profanity, and references to drugs and alcohol.
Vox Media, which makes Discover content for Snapchat, stated for The Verge, “We haven't been served with a complaint in this lawsuit, but we are sorry if people were offended.” “Our Discover partners have editorial independence, which is something that we support,” company representatives added.
This lawsuit could force Snapchat to implement parental controls inside the application, especially in the Discover section.