Snap Inc. Faces Defective Design Lawsuit After Teen’s Death (1)

Snap Inc. was hit with a wrongful death suit alleging its failure to implement adequate safety features after a 13-year-old victim of a Snapchat sexual extortion scheme died by suicide.

Snapchat utilizes flawed age verification systems, makes profiles publicly accessible by default, and implements inadequate parental controls that “allow children to be easily identified, targeted, accessed, and exploited,” the complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina says. Additionally, Snap fails to report instances of abuse and uses addictive features to get children and young adults hooked on the app, the complaint says.

A representative ...