Utah Sues Snapchat For Unleashing Experimental AI Technology On Young Users While Misrepresenting the Safety of the Platform

June 30, 2025 — Today, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, and the Utah Department of Commerce’s Margaret Busse announced a lawsuit against Snap, Inc. (Snap). Utah alleges that Snap profits from unconscionable design features created to addict children to the app, and facilitates illegal drug sales and sextortion. The lawsuit also includes claims related to its AI chatbot, My AI, and comes as states confront the harsh realities of AI technology’s impact on children. The joint filing from Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was filed in State Court on June 30, 2025. 

This is the fourth lawsuit initiated by DCP and OAG against a major social media company, including coordinated lawsuits filed against Meta and TikTok. 

“Utah is taking a stand to protect our kids in an increasingly digital world. This lawsuit against Snap is about accountability and about drawing a clear line: the well-being of our children must come before corporate profits,” said Governor Cox. “We won’t sit back while tech companies exploit young users. It’s time for commonsense protections that ensure a safer online experience for every minor.”

The State alleges Snapchat is designed to steal time and attention away from teens at the expense of their development, health, and welfare. This complaint brings three separate counts, alleging that:

• Snap designed addictive and dangerous features into its platform to exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities for financial gain, constituting an unconscionable business practice under state law.
• Snap publicly positioned itself as a safe alternative to traditional social media while deceiving users and their parents about the platform’s safety and the resources Snap committed to protecting them.
• Snap is violating the Utah Consumer Privacy Act by not informing consumers about its data collection and processing practices and failing to provide users or their parents with an opportunity to opt out of sharing sensitive data, such as biometric and geolocation information.

“Snapchat’s features facilitate sexual predators and drug dealers’ efforts to target and exploit children,” said General Brown. “We will continue to do everything in our power to protect Utah kids from exploitation. My office will not be deterred in its efforts to keep children safe online.”

Utah aims to hold Snap accountable for its illicit business practices that are akin to peddling digital nicotine to kids. The lawsuit seeks a court-ordered penalty and other relief, compelling Snap to prioritize the well-being of children over profit. This action is intended to underscore the severe repercussions of exploiting Utah’s youth and put an end to these practices.

“Utah’s youth deserve a safe digital environment, free from exploitation and harmful influences. Our lawsuit against Snap serves as a critical reminder that companies must prioritize the welfare of our children over profit,” said Margaret Woolley Busse, Executive Director, Utah Department of Commerce. “We are committed to enforcing the necessary protections and standing up against practices that endanger the mental and emotional well-being of young users.”

Examples from the Complaint:

• Snap publicly advertises “extra protections” for teens and an “age-appropriate content experience,” but DCP’s investigation found the experience in a 13-year-old and 15-year-old test account to be filled with highly sexual material, including recommending videos from OnlyFans models and other models in stages of undress. (lines 223-229)
• Snapchat has become a virtual market for drug cartels, with Utah officials arresting a drug dealer running a “truly massive” drug ring through Snapchat in 2019. This ring openly advertised narcotics and arranged deals on the platform, linking black market THC cartridges to “almost every high school in the Salt Lake valley”. (line 211)
• The complaint identifies several gambling-like design features that exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities, including ephemeral messages, Snapstreaks, push notifications, beauty filters, personalization algorithms, and Snap Map. (line 5)
• Snap’s introduction of “My AI,” a virtual chatbot, is criticized for lacking proper testing and safety protocols, and for giving misleading or harmful advice to underage users, including how to hide alcohol and drugs or set the mood for a sexual experience with an adult. (lines 8-9)
• Snap uses dark patterns to extract information from children using My AI. Dark patterns are design features that encourage users to use the feature. My AI is prominently placed at the top of user’s chat, even before the user’s real, human friends, and is automatically enabled for all Snapchat users. My AI cannot be removed from the app. (line 145)
• My AI collects user geolocation data even when “Ghost Mode” is activated, and Snap fails to clearly disclose this or the involvement of OpenAI in data processing. (lines 151-152, 154, 156, 160)

The OAG and DCP emphasize that investigations are still ongoing, and they are confident they will prevail in court to protect Utah children.