Unpacking Attorney General Griffin’s Lawsuit Against Snapchat

Earlier this summer, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Snap — owner of the popular social media platform Snapchat — alleging the company deliberately designed its app to attract and addict teenagers, while publicly claiming the platform was safe for young users.

The lawsuit alleges Snap violated state laws against deceptive trade practices.

Nearly all American teenagers use social media, and about one in three teens say they use it “almost constantly.”

Snapchat is a messaging app that lets users send photos and videos — called “Snaps” — that automatically disappear after being viewed. As of 2026, the platform boasts an estimated 493 million active daily users.

But the social media app has been at the center of multiple controversies regarding sexting and grooming.

In a lawsuit filed on June 23, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin alleges Snapchat exploits young users and exposes them to dangers like “sextortion rings, predatory grooming, violent content, illegal drug marketplaces, unrealistic beauty standards, and an untested My AI chatbot that delivers dangerous and inappropriate advice to minors.”

The attorney general’s team says Snap has failed to provide “even basic safeguards”:

“Snap is among the worst and most egregious offenders of all social media companies. Contrary to popular belief, Snapchat is not a neutral communication tool; it is a digital drug dealer that targets our children. Snapchat is an addictive product, deliberately engineered to manipulate attention and psychological behavior, particularly in teens and preteens. Behind this devastating reality lies a deliberate and calculated business model: Snap has engineered its platform to create addiction in our children to maximize profits over people regardless of the impact on our communities and families.

“Snapchat has evolved into a platform built to capture attention, deepen dependency, and keep minors online for as long — and as often — as possible. And it works, especially on Arkansas children. In every relevant metric — Snaps seen, Snaps sent, time spent on the app, and more — Arkansas youth surpass the national average.

“As a direct result, Snapchat shapes how children communicate, how they relate to peers, and how they see themselves, all while exposing them to serious, predictable, and entirely avoidable risks.

“That compulsive use also translated directly into concrete psychological harms.”

Attorneys for Snap have filed motions to move the case from state court to federal court, but the attorney general’s team is working to keep the case in state court.

The lawsuit against Snap is similar to other lawsuits Attorney General Griffin has filed against social media companies.

In 2023, Attorney General Griffin sued Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram — for intentionally designing its social media platforms “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.” The A.G. says this exploitation is especially harmful for young users with developing brains.

The lawsuit against Meta was recently resolved as part of a $17 billion settlement that Meta reached with dozens of attorneys general from around the country.

In 2023, Attorney General Griffin also filed two lawsuits against ByteDance — the company that owns TikTok. Those legal complaints call the TikTok app “a Chinese ‘Trojan Horse’ unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers.” They highlight how TikTok fails to protect private user data and argue that TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” objectionable content to users — including “illegal drug use, sex, violence, and self-harm.”

The A.G.’s team says that TikTok deceptively labeled its app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when it really should have been rated 17+. Attorney General Griffin’s office is still actively pursuing its lawsuits against TikTok in Arkansas court.

A growing body of evidence shows that social media platforms may deliberately addict users, promote objectionable content, and put people’s personal information at risk. Parents need to understand what these platforms may be doing to children.

Social media platforms are more than just phone apps or websites.

These are multibillion-dollar businesses with CEOs, boards of directors, investors, and development teams. The adults who profit from these businesses need to be held accountable when they harm innocent people — especially teens.

Children deserve proactive protection online. If tech companies won’t protect children, then voters and policymakers must.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. We hope our courts will continue to do their part to hold these companies accountable as well.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.