Florida sues Snapchat owner for allegedly addicting children, deceiving parents
The Hindu
Florida has Snapchat parent company, Snap accusing it of making it addictive for children and opening accounts for children age 13 and younger without parental approval.
Florida sued Snap, the owner of photo-sharing app Snapchat, on Tuesday, accusing it of illegally employing features that addict children and opening accounts for children age 13 and younger.
The complaint said Snapchat features including infinite scrolling, push notifications, auto-play videos, and metrics that provide user feedback violate a 2024 state law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, and designed to protect children's mental health from compulsive social media exposure.
Florida called Snap's conduct "particularly egregious" because the Santa Monica, California-based company markets Snapchat as safe for 13-year-olds though it can be used to view pornography and buy drugs, among other harmful activities.
By failing to remove 13-year-old users and require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-old users, "Snap is actively deceiving Florida parents about the risks of allowing their teens to access this platform," the complaint said.
The complaint was announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and filed in a Santa Rosa County state court, in the state's panhandle. Uthmeier and DeSantis are Republicans.
In a statement, Snap said Florida's law infringes the First Amendment constitutional rights of adults and children.
Snap also said there are "more privacy-conscious solutions" at the operating system, app store and device level to address online safety and age verification.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Congress in Karnataka decides to re-enumerate caste data to address concerns, reviews Bengaluru stampede handling, and criticizes central plan allocation.
Madras High Court orders investigation on whether Vedha Mariyamman Temple car can pass through Scheduled Caste areas.
Current water levels in Papanasam and Manimuthar Dams with inflow and discharge rates provided.
Housewarming ceremonies for Indiramma Houses in Telangana in seven to 10 days
Balti is the title of Shane Nigam’s 25th film, a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual sports action drama co-starring Preethi Asrani and Shanthnu Bhagyaraj
World Bank Group’s centre in Chennai stands for operational excellence and innovation, says MD Wencai Zhang
External Affairs Minister warns of deep strikes into Pakistan in response to terrorist attacks, emphasizing retribution against terrorists.
Rains lash Salem city, inundate roads
Referring to the CM’s statement that the government had no role in the deaths, and there was no untoward incidents during the event at Vidhana Soudha, BJP chief commented that such a statement would prompt him to doubt the maturity of the Chief Minister who has been in politics for long.
IMD issues heavy rain alert for six Telangana districts, with thunderstorms and gusty winds expected across the state onm June 11
Rahul Dravid expresses sorrow over stampede at Bengaluru stadium, as officials resign in aftermath of tragedy.
Two bodies recovered from North Sikkim landslide, part of ongoing search and rescue operation in challenging conditions.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee emphasizes backwardness as sole criteria for OBC status, dismissing religious connections in decision-making.