Snapchat Is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale

Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch argue that Snapchat’s design exposes millions of children to serious, foreseeable harms, and that removing harmful content after it appears cannot solve the problem. They compile statements from Snap employees, executives, consultants, and commissioned research cited in court filings, alongside examples from lawsuits. The evidence is organized around compulsive use; access to drugs and guns; child sexual abuse material, sextortion, and sexual predation; cyberbullying; and the company’s awareness of these risks and widespread underage use. One internal email reportedly put sextortion reports at about 10,000 per month, while company insiders described age checks as ineffective. More than 600 lawsuits naming Snap were filed between 2022 and 2025, and the authors estimate that roughly 13 million American teenagers use the app.

The authors focus on features they say can connect minors with strangers or intensify use, including Quick Add, streaks, beauty filters, engagement-based recommendations, and disappearing messages. They urge Snap to change or remove these features for minors, improve age enforcement, and publish research measuring how many young users experience harm - not merely how much content the company removes. Snap says child safety is a priority, cites expanded safety and law-enforcement teams, and says it removes substantial amounts of harmful material. The authors acknowledge those efforts and note that court allegations may be disputed or taken out of context, but argue that moderation remains inadequate if children continue to encounter abuse, drug sales, and predatory adults.