Texas sues Snapchat over addictive features and exposure to explicit content
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Snapchat alleging the platform knowingly misrepresented its safety while marketing it as suitable for children, yet exposed users to explicit content and used addictive features designed to addict young users. The lawsuit claims Snapchat violated parental rights and endangered Texas children through features like daily streaks that incentivize continued use.
What happened
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on February 11, 2026 in the District Court of Collin County alleging that Snapchat knowingly misrepresented the app's safety to parents and consumers while promoting it as safe for children with "12+" age ratings on app stores.
The lawsuit claims Snapchat simultaneously frequently exposed users to dangerous and mature content including profanity, sexual content, nudity, and drug use, and that features like "Snapstreaks" and other daily-use incentives were designed to addict young users.
Reported impact
The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat's addictive design and exposure to explicit content caused harm to young minds and put Texas children in danger while undermining parental rights.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.