![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jolt.richmond.edu\/files\/2025\/10\/iphone-3575940_1280-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBy: Jessica Huynh<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since its launch in September 2011, Snapchat has skyrocketed to dominance as a leading social media platform.[1]<\/a> Currently, Snapchat has 453 million daily users worldwide, with U.S. teenagers ranking it the second most important social media network of their generation.[2]<\/a> The app allows users to share photos, videos, and messages known as \u201csnaps\u201d with friends.[3]<\/a> What differentiates Snapchat from other social media platforms is its unique feature that makes snaps disappear after the recipient opens the snap.[4]<\/a> Snapchat transformed social media by redefining message deletion, turning it from a drawback into a key feature.[5]<\/a> While this key feature has allowed for more candid conversations, it has also presented new dangers: the increased creation and distribution of child pornography.<\/p>\n With 500,000 online predators active each day, it can be argued that all social media platforms pose a risk.[6]<\/a> However, Snapchat is especially appealing to children, as evidenced by the estimated 2.8 million users in the U.S. under the age of twelve.[7]<\/a> While Snapchat\u2019s terms of service require users to be at least thirteen years old, many users can bypass this age restriction easily.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n Not only are millions of children on the app, but they are using it frequently and extensively. Research has found that 14% of teenagers in the United States report using Snapchat almost constantly, and 29% report using the app several times a day.[9]<\/a> Besides Snapchat\u2019s main disappearing snap feature, this consistent use is partly due to Snapchat\u2019s \u201csnapstreak\u201d function, which gamifies messaging by rewarding users for messaging each other daily.<\/a> Individuals were found to be more motivated to use Snapchat than Facebook due to the app\u2019s entertainment, convenience, and medium appeal.[11]<\/a> Additionally, Snapchat\u2019s novelty makes it especially appealing to younger users, who feel more comfortable on the platform knowing their parents are unlikely to be on the app.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n What makes Snapchat unique is also what makes it dangerous for children, as the disappearing snap feature causes users to \u201cfeel emboldened to share explicit or inappropriate content, believing it will disappear after viewing.\u201d[13]<\/a> As a consequence, children feel encouraged to engage in risky behavior.[14]<\/a> Snapchat has been linked \u201cto an increase in sexting among young people,\u201d[15]<\/a> with studies showing that 22% of teenagers admitted to sending nude or semi-nude photos or videos of themselves through the platform.[16]<\/a> This issue extends beyond national borders, as law enforcement agencies and government officials in London have also reported a troubling rise in the use of social media platforms, such as Snapchat, for the sexual exploitation of children.[17]<\/a> They note that apps designed to delete messages \u201ckeep parents in the dark about what their [children are] actually up to.\u201d[18]<\/a> This alarming trend raises significant questions about digital safety, privacy, and the potential for exploitation, underscoring the urgent need for stronger safeguards and parental awareness regarding social media use among minors.<\/p>\n While teenagers constitute a significant portion of Snapchat\u2019s user base, it is crucial to acknowledge that they are not the only individuals using the platform. Snapchat\u2019s design, which emphasizes disappearing messages and encrypted communications, creates an environment where predators can groom and exploit children with minimal risk of detection.[19]<\/a> Predators are aware of the disappearing feature that Snapchat provides, and they take full advantage of it.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n Government officials are intensifying their scrutiny of Snapchat and its potential dangers, uncovering a disturbing reality: child exploitation on the platform is far more widespread and insidious than previously believed.[21]<\/a> In 2024, New Mexico\u2019s attorney general, Raul Torrez, dispatched a team of agents to pose as teenagers on the app.[22]<\/a> This operation uncovered 10,000 records related to Snapchat and child sexual abuse content on dark websites.[23]<\/a> It was found that Snapchat was the largest source of images and videos among the dark websites investigated.[24]<\/a> Subsequently, Torrez filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, alleging that the application\u2019s design made it easier for predators to approach children and that Snapchat failed to take remedial measures.[25]<\/a> During this lawsuit, internal documents show that Snapchat employees have been raising alarms about child predation problems for years.[26]<\/a> Specifically, employees pointed to one account that remained active despite receiving seventy-five complaints.[27]<\/a> Investigations also uncovered that Snapchat permitted users to search for and access explicit sexual content, including a broad range of fetishes.<\/a> Snapchat internal sources state that addressing child grooming would create privacy issues and be too expensive.[29]<\/a><\/p>\n Researchers are developing AI algorithms and classifiers to detect online predators in digital communications and identify explicit images being sent or shared.[30]<\/a> Certain AI detection algorithms focus on word analysis and heavily on the emotions displayed between the conversation participants.[31]<\/a> This provides an extra layer of accuracy by distinguishing between the predator and the child by learning the emotions displayed by each group during the conversation.[32]<\/a> These algorithms are expected to significantly enhance the detection of online predators, as they can be integrated into various applications, websites, communication platforms, and image-sharing services.[33]<\/a><\/p>\n As image-based sexual content is a key factor in the prevalence of internet crimes against children, by adding hash values to images, AI algorithms can detect child sexual abuse material.[34]<\/a> By leveraging image detection techniques, explicit images can be identified when transmitted across platforms, uploaded to websites, or stored in the cloud, helping to combat the spread of exploitative content.[35]<\/a> However, current image detection algorithms remain limited in their ability to accurately identify and filter exploitative content.[36]<\/a> Nonetheless, companies, especially platforms like Snapchat, could benefit from integrating these advanced algorithms into their chat systems to detect and prevent the spread of exploitative content, enhancing user safety and accountability.<\/p>\n Snapchat\u2019s disappearing messages have made it a favorite among young users, but also a tool for predators to exploit children with little oversight. Despite internal warnings, Snapchat has done little to address these risks. The New Mexico investigation revealed the extent of the problem, underscoring the urgent need for action. To protect minors, platforms like Snapchat must be urged to adopt tools like AI detection to identify abuse and take greater responsibility for user safety. Without real change, Snapchat\u2019s core feature will continue to hide harmful behavior.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link to image source:<\/p>\n https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/iphone-smartphone-social-media-3575940\/<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> See <\/em>Brian O\u2019Connell, History of Snapchat: Timeline and Facts<\/em>, The Street (Feb. 28, 2020), https:\/\/www.thestreet.com\/technology\/history-of-snapchat.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a>\u00a0 See Daily active users of snapchat<\/em>, Statista (April 1, 2025), https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/545967\/snapchat-app-dau\/.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> See <\/em>Cari Whitlock, Is Snapchat Safe For Kids: Should You Let Your Child Use It?<\/em>, Healthy Young Minds, https:\/\/www.healthyyoungminds.com\/is-snapchat-safe-for-kids-should-you-let-your-child-use-it\/.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [5]<\/a> See <\/em>Brian O\u2019Connell, History of Snapchat: Timeline and Facts<\/em>, The Street (Feb. 28, 2020), https:\/\/www.thestreet.com\/technology\/history-of-snapchat.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a>See <\/em>Michael E. Kraut, Children and Grooming\/Online Predators<\/em>, Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center, https:\/\/childsafety.losangelescriminallawyer.pro\/children-and-grooming-online-predators.html.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> See <\/em>Stacey McLachlan, 16 Snapchat Demographics for Marketers to Know in 2024<\/em>, Hootsuite (Apr. 9, 2024), https:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/snapchat-demographics\/.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> See <\/em>Cari Whitlock, Is Snapchat Safe For Kids: Should You Let Your Child Use It?<\/em>, Healthy Young Minds, https:\/\/www.healthyyoungminds.com\/is-snapchat-safe-for-kids-should-you-let-your-child-use-it\/.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> See <\/em>Stacey McLachan, 16 Snapchat Demographics for Marketers to Know in 2024<\/em>, Hootsuite (Apr. 9, 2024), https:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/snapchat-demographics\/.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Dar Meshi, et al., Snapchat vs. Facebook: Differences in Problematic use, behavior change attempts, and trait social reward preferences<\/em>, 12 Addictive Behaviors Reports 1 (2020), https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.abrep.2020.100294.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [12]<\/a> See<\/em> Mallory Rosetta, Professionals discuss what makes Snapchat addictive<\/em>, The Daily Toreador (Mar. 17, 2019), https:\/\/www.dailytoreador.com\/lavida\/professionals-discuss-what-makes-snapchat-addictive\/article_00716818-4925-11e9-be30-f7f97e7b9d9a.html.<\/p>\n [13]<\/a> Cari Whitlock, Is Snapchat Safe For Kids: Should You Let Your Child Use It?<\/em>, Healthy Young Minds, https:\/\/www.healthyyoungminds.com\/is-snapchat-safe-for-kids-should-you-let-your-child-use-it\/.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> See 5 Snapchat Dangers Parents Should Know, <\/em>Child Rescue Coalition, https:\/\/childrescuecoalition.org\/educations\/5-snapchat-dangers-parents-should-know\/.<\/p>\n [15]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [16]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [17]<\/a> See <\/em>Isha Bhargava, Child luring and exploitation through Snapchat is on the rise. Here\u2019s what you should look out for<\/em>, CBC News (Jan. 24, 2023), https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/london\/child- luring-and-exploitation-through-snapchat-is-on-the-rise-here-s-what-you-should-look-out-for-1.6722978.<\/p>\n [18]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [19]<\/a> See 5 Snapchat Dangers Parents Should Know<\/em>, supra <\/em>at note 14.<\/p>\n [20]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [21]<\/a> See <\/em>Dara Kerr, Snapchat brushed aside warnings of child harm, documents show<\/em>, NPR (Oct. 4, 2024), https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/10\/04\/nx-s1-5137218\/snapchat-brushed-aside-warnings-of-child-harm-documents-show.<\/p>\n [22]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [23]<\/a> Ariel Zilber, Snapchat favored by child predators who use \u2018sextortion\u2019 to get explicit images of minors; lawsuit<\/em>, New York Post (Sep. 5, 2024), https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/05\/business\/snapchat-used-by-predators-for-sextortion-schemes-against-kids\/.<\/p>\n [24]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [25]<\/a> Dara Kerr, Snapchat brushed aside warnings of child harm, documents show<\/em>, NPR (Oct. 4, 2024), https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/10\/04\/nx-s1-5137218\/snapchat-brushed-aside-warnings-of-child-harm-documents-show.<\/p>\n [26]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [27]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [28]<\/a> Gabby Miller, Snapchat Is A \u201cBreeding Ground\u201d For Child Predators, According To New Mexico Lawsuit<\/em>, TechPolicy.Press (Sept. 5, 2024), https:\/\/www.techpolicy.press\/snapchat-is-a-breeding-ground-for-child-predators-according-to-new-mexico-lawsuit\/.<\/p>\n [29]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [30]<\/a> Olatilewa Osifeso, Artificial Intelligence Ability to Detect Online Predators<\/em>, Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations (2024), https:\/\/scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=3139&context=etd.<\/p>\n [31]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [32]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [33]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\n [34]<\/a> Id. <\/em><\/p>\nWhy Snapchat Specifically?<\/h3>\n
Snapchat\u2019s Disappearing Feature<\/h3>\n
Predators on Snapchat and What New Mexico is Doing About It.<\/h3>\n
How to Stop the Problem<\/h3>\n