Florida officials filed suit Monday against Snap Inc., the owner and operator of Snapchat, alleging it has been "openly defying" state law aimed at protecting young minors. (GETTY IMAGES/FOX NEWS)
Uthmeier argued in his suit that Snapchat's current age ratings for content are "highly deceptive and unfair," pointing to a Washington Post columnist who tested Snapchat's AI chatbot feature and was able to get it to provide instructions to a 13-year-old on how to mask the smell of pot and alcohol. He pointed to Snapchat's "Find Friends" feature as well, among others, which Uthmeier alleged has "connected minors with adult strangers seeking to groom, harass, exploit, and even assault them, or to sell them illegal drugs."
According to Uthmeier, Snapchat has recognized in other litigation that it is subject to the provisions under Florida's H.B. 3, leading him to assert in the Monday complaint that the platform is "openly defying this important public health measure."
However, Snap Inc. argues that the underlying premise of Uthmeier's complaint, that Snapchat is violating H.B. 3, is flawed because the law infringes on the First Amendment rights of adults and young people. Simultaneously, Snap Inc. said, H.B. 3 fails to adequately address age verification and opens up Floridians to data protection and privacy issues.
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"We believe there are more privacy-conscious solutions to online safety and managing age verification, including at the operating system, app store, or device level," a Snap Inc. spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "In addition, there is a current challenge to the constitutionality of this law pending in Florida federal court, and we hoped that the state would allow this challenge to proceed through the proper legal process. Unfortunately, they’ve decided to file a complaint in state court in an attempt to bypass the issues that are already being heard in federal court."
With Snapchat’s release of its new generative A.I. feature, Dreams, director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute Jessica Melugin told Fox News Digital the platform is "at the frontier" of bringing A.I. capabilities to the social media public. (Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nonprofits that promote parental rights, including the American Parents Coalition and the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, expressed support for Uthmeier's suit, pointing out that social media use among minors can have detrimental impacts to their mental fitness and overall well-being later in life.
"It is indisputable that social media is hurting our kids' mental and physical health," Alleigh Marré, Executive Director of American Parents Coalition, told Fox News Digital. "Beyond the broad challenges young people face with the intentionally addictive nature of the platforms, Snapchat has allowed poor safety measures and inadequate parental controls to put our kids at risk. From sexual predators to drug dealers, to pornography, Snapchat’s leadership is aware of the risks associated with the platform, especially for young people, but they’ve put profit ahead of protection."
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"Attorney General Uthmeier recognizes that Florida's children are the future of our community and our most precious asset. General Uthmeier’s focus on protecting children from inappropriate content and the threats posed by child predators demonstrates a profound understanding of their vulnerability and the imperative need to keep them safe online," added Bob Cunningham, Director of Policy Engagement for the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "By prioritizing their protection, he is not only enhancing our current legislative landscape but also setting a vital example for others to follow."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/snapchat-openly-defying-law-allowing-kids-access-harmful-addictive-content-florida-ag