Have you or a loved one been harmed by addiction to Snapchat? If so, Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers will represent you and file a Snapchat lawsuit on your behalf seeking financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering and more.
Snapchat is extremely popular with young users. However, like many other social media platforms made by social media companies, the social media platform features an addictive algorithm as well as other features which are inherently harmful.
Children and teens have developed severe mental health problems due to Snapchat addiction, and have even committed suicide.
If you or your loved one have been harmed by addiction to the social media app Snapchat, that harm is technically an injury, and we have been helping injury victims recover compensation for their injuries since 1990. We have recovered over 0,000,000 on behalf of injury victims.
We represent victims of social media addiction and file social media lawsuits on their behalf without charging any fees until and unless we obtain financial compensation. This means that you will never owe us any out of pocket fees or upfront fees for us to represent you against Snapchat.
If you can’t afford to obtain treatment for Snapchat addiction, we can get you to professionals who will treat you on a lien, meaning you won’t be charged until your case is over.
Call us today for a free consultation, text us from this page or fill out the free case evaluation form on this page if you or a loved one has been harmed by Snapchat addiction.
Why Are People Suing Snapchat?
There are many reasons people are suing Snapchat:
Snapchat As A Source Of Drugs
Parents have sued Snapchat after their children died from taking drugs that contained fentanyl, drugs which they allegedly found on Snapchat.
One danger of social media apps is that they may allow drug dealers to sell their wares to young users.
In one lawsuit, it is alleged that a child bought a pill online, thinking the pill was oxycodone, and died after taking half of the pill. Investigators reportedly determined that the pill was a counterfeit that actually contained fentanyl, which is 50 times deadlier than morphine.
The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat makes it hard for law enforcement to investigate and find evidence that illegal activity occurred. Lawsuits allege a lack of oversight on behalf of Snap Inc., and that Snapchat’s features make it very easy for drug sellers to erase evidence that they communicated with people over the app.
Snapchat And Social Media Addiction
Lawsuits allege that Snapchat manipulates young users to keep them addicted to the platform and using it, directing them to harmful content and employing features that make it harder for parents to monitor their activities and easier for predators to discover them.
The American Psychological Association says that changes in the brain happen from age 10 to 12 causing children to feel more rewarded by social rewards because oxytocin and dopamine are released when they encounter social stimuli.
In other words, Snapchat is profiting from vulnerable young Snapchat users because of the brain development stages they’re going through.
Lawsuits allege that one particularly addicting feature of Snapchat is known as “snapstreaks.”
Snapchat interactions happen when users post videos or images which are called “snaps.” When two Snapchat users send snaps to each other for three days in a row, they are awarded “snapstreaks.” These streaks are denoted by fire emojis and numbers which indicate how long the streaks have been active. Streaks end when a user fails to send a snap in a day.
These snapstreaks allegedly compel Snapchat users to spend time every day on Snapchat because they:
- Create a feeling of obligation to keep a streak going to not disappoint another user
- Correlate to higher social status when lengths and numbers of streaks increase
- Are a way by which users measure friendships
Young users can engage in excessive numbers of streaks which require hours to keep up every day. Doing this can even become the most important part of a young user’s life, creating pressure and anxiety.
Snapchat Speed Filters Caused Car Accidents
A lawsuit has alleged that a Snapchat “speed filter” which let users display how fast they’re going in a vehicle when they made a post led to a 107-mile-per-hour crash that left the plaintiff with permanent brain injuries.
The lawsuit alleges the speed filter was designed negligently, and that Snap knew or should have known its filter would encourage users to drive recklessly, yet failed to design protections to reduce this risk.
Suicide Lawsuits Regarding The Social Media Platform Snapchat
Lawsuits have alleged that Snapchat has caused young users to commit suicide. One lawsuit alleges that a young female user developed a Snapchat addiction at age nine, and was sleep-deprived by this addiction by age 11.
The lawsuit alleges she was bullied at school after explicit selfies she sent to male users were shared publicly.
The lawsuit alleges that, as a result, she developed severe depression, low self-esteem and eating disorders, and that after receiving outpatient therapy and numerous psychiatric hospitalizations, she ultimately committed suicide.
Another lawsuit alleges a young Snapchat users became addicted to the platform, staying up late into the night every night on Snapchat, viewing information about firearms. The lawsuit claims he became depressed and eventually committed suicide by gunshot.
Another lawsuit alleges a young Snapchat user started using the platform at age 15, exchanging explicit photos, becoming obsessed with body image and becoming sleep-deprived. The lawsuit alleges he eventually shot himself at age 17, leaving his parents a note telling them it wasn’t their fault.
Snapchat Biometric Data Class Action Lawsuit
A class action lawsuit was filed alleging that Snap violated Illinois law in the form of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and storing the biometric data of Illinois residents.
While Snap stated that they do not collect biometric data that can identify specific people and that limited data that powered lenses wasn’t sent to Snap servers, Snap eventually reached a class action settlement in the case with users who used filters or lenses offered by Snap during the class period.
Users with an Illinois address were given a November 2022 deadline to file a timely claim form.
Risks Of Letting Your Kids Use Snapchat
There are risks of letting your children use Snapchat, including:
Privacy Issues
Snapchat lets users set a time limit on their snaps so snaps disappear once they are viewed. This may give the illusion to young users that videos and pictures that they post on the platform are temporary. This might encourage young users to share content that they wouldn’t share otherwise, such as cyberbullying messages or explicit images.
These vanishing messages can prevent parents from monitoring the use of Snapchat by their children, lulling users into thinking they are safe. However, savvy Snapchat users are easily able to screenshot images and then share them on the internet, making them permanent.
Stranger Danger
The disappearing messages featured on Snapchat may encourage sexual predators to use the platform.
In addition, Snapchat has a “quick add” feature which suggests friends of friends to children. This feature can expose children to strangers who may be predators.
Location Sharing
Snap Maps is a feature that enables Snapchat users to view and share their locations. Typically, only friends can see these.
However, many Snapchat friends aren’t people that young people actually know. Some of these Snapchat friends who see users’ locations may be strangers or sexual predators.
How To File A Lawsuit Against Snapchat
If you or a loved one have suffered from any of the following, call us today for a free consultation so we can file a Snapchat lawsuit on your behalf:
- Eating disorders
- Body dysmorphia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Social media addiction
- Cyberbullying
- Self-harm or suicidal ideation
- Negative social comparison
Potential Damages In A Snapchat Lawsuit
If you or a loved one was harmed by Snapchat, you may be eligible for financial compensation for:
Medical Bills
You may qualify for financial compensation for past and future medical expenses related to the harm caused by Snapchat. This can include the cost of therapy or the cost to treat any self-harm which occurred.
Lost Wages
You may qualify for financial compensation for any wages that were not earned because of harm due to Snapchat. If harm caused by Snapchat caused you or a loved one to miss any time from work, we can help you recover compensation for those unearned wages.
Pain And Suffering
Social media addiction can be harmful. We can help you recover compensation for any physical pain and mental suffering caused by harm caused by Snapchat.
Wrongful Death
If you have lost a loved one due to Snapchat, we can file a wrongful death lawsuit on your behalf. You may receive compensation for things such as:
- Burial costs
- Funeral costs
- Loss of future income
- Loss of companionship
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- More
If you’ve lost a loved one, no amount of financial compensation will bring them back. But financial compensation is the least these social media companies can do. You deserve the space to grieve.
Contact An Attorney Today
We’ve been representing injury victims for over 30 years, having recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.
If you believe you have grounds for a Snapchat lawsuit, call us today at (800) 718-4658. We’ll use our experience to ensure you receive the financial compensation you deserve.
