Snap sued over rape of minor who met adult attacker via Snapchat
Summary
The parents of a 12-year-old girl who was raped by an adult she met on Snapchat have sued Snap, the company that owns the app, and the attacker in Missouri. The lawsuit claims Snapchat did not stop harmful features or warn parents, and allowed the attacker to contact and harm the girl.Key Facts
- The girl started using Snapchat at age 11, even though the app requires users to be 13 or older.
- Snapchat recommended the girl and other teens as friends to an adult man, Gabriel Joel Valentin-Rios, who had no real-life connection to them.
- Valentin-Rios sent the girl unwanted nude photos, used Snapchat’s location feature to find her home address, and lied about his age to gain her trust.
- Valentin-Rios pleaded guilty to statutory rape and is serving an 18-year prison sentence.
- The lawsuit says Snapchat knew about Valentin-Rios’s multiple accounts but did not stop him.
- The girl has been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and depression after the assault.
- The parents want the court to force Snapchat to change its app to better protect children.
- Similar lawsuits and state lawsuits allege Snapchat’s design encourages sexual abuse and sextortion of minors.
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