Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, alleging that the company has misled parents and endangered children through the design and content of its app.
In the lawsuit, Paxton accuses Snap of “deceiving parents, endangering kids by exposing them to addictive features, and serving as a breeding ground for extreme conduct.” The complaint alleges that Snapchat misrepresents the frequency and severity of mature content available on the platform.
Paxton stated in the filing that “Snap tells Texas parents and their children that mature content on its platform, including drugs, nudity, alcohol, and profanity, is ‘infrequent’ and ‘mild.’” He characterized those representations as “lies,” describing the app as “rife with extremely mature content in all of those categories, which is frequently and easily accessible at the fingertips and swipes of Texas children and teenagers.”
The lawsuit further claims that Snapchat’s product design contributes to compulsive use among young people. According to Paxton, short-form “ephemeral” content — posts that disappear after a limited time — encourages frequent engagement. “Ephemeral content drives addiction by causing young users to return frequently to the app or risk missing out on content that will disappear,” he stated.
The complaint also references the platform’s “infinite scroll” feature, which Paxton says is designed to “[keep] users on the platform for long periods of time as they view a never-ending stream of content.” The lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly “deceives Snapchat consumers,” and that these features “predictably lead to behavioral addiction among young users, which affects their mental and physical health.”
“Snap is aware of this, but does not warn Snap users or their parents about them, and instead, it affirmatively represents that Snapchat is safe and appropriate for young users,” the lawsuit states.
As part of the investigation, the Office of the Attorney General created a Snapchat account with an inputted age of 13. According to the filing, the account was shown content that included profanity and crude humor; alcohol, tobacco, and drug use or references; sexual content and nudity; and mature or suggestive themes. The lawsuit argues that these findings “make its 12+ and T for Teen ratings deceptive.”
The attorney general’s office is seeking a “permanent injunction” under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), requesting that the court order Snap to “stop its false, misleading, and deceptive representations to Texas minors and their parents.” The filing also calls on the company to comply with the Securing Children Online – Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, “in addition to civil penalties and other appropriate relief.”
The lawsuit comes amid broader legislative and public debate over the impact of social media and smartphone use on minors. In Texas, a bipartisan bill passed last year banning students from using personal communication devices, including cell phones, on school campuses during the school day. Implementation of the policy has led to varying approaches and ongoing discussions about enforcement.
Nationally, lawmakers have also examined the issue. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently hosted a hearing titled “Plugged Out: Examining the Impact of Technology on America’s Youth.” Cruz referenced the bipartisan Kids Off Social Media Act and stated, “Every parent I know is concerned about the time their kids spend online and what trash they may be exposed to: predators, self-harm videos, or mindless filth.”
“Kids need time to be kids—to experience the real world, not disappear into a virtual one,” Cruz added.
The case against Snap Inc. is part of a growing movement among state and federal officials to address concerns about youth exposure to online content and the potential effects of social media platforms on mental health. The outcome of the lawsuit could have implications for how social media companies design and market their platforms to younger users.
