Snap Sued over Rape of Minor Who Connected to Adult Attacker on Snapchat
The suit says Snapchat’s design helped a stranger groom a 12-year-old girl and exposed her home address through Snap Maps.
- On Wednesday, the parents of a Missouri teenager sued Snap, alleging the social media platform facilitated their daughter's rape as a 12-year-old by an adult stranger she met on the app.
- Snap's "Quick Add" and "Snap Map" features allegedly enabled Gabriel Joel Valentin-Rios, a 25-year-old, to groom the girl after posing as a 17-year-old boy to connect with her.
- Internal documents cited in the suit suggest Snap failed to review more than 40% of serious reports, with plaintiffs claiming "sextortion was a rampant, 'massive,' and 'incredibly concerning issue' on Snapchat."
- Following his guilty plea, Valentin-Rios is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence, while this litigation joins similar cases against Snap in New Mexico and Vermont.
- Despite Snap's claims of using automated safety systems, the Social Media Victims Law Center argues the company's "dangerous design features" continue to pose a persistent threat to children.
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Snapchat faces lawsuit over rape of minor by adult stranger
The parents of a girl who was raped when she was 12 years old by an adult stranger she met on Snapchat have sued its parent company, Snap, and the attacker in Missouri state court. The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims the social media company has refused to disable dangerous features in its app or warn parents about potential harms it may cause. According to the lawsuit, the girl began using Snapchat in 2021 when she was 11 without her parents' kn…
Associated Press News
Snap sued over rape of minor who connected to adult attacker on Snapchat
The parents of a girl who was raped when she was 12 years old by an adult stranger she met on Snapchat have sued its parent company and the attacker in Missouri state court.
Snapchat sued in case alleging the platform is responsible for 12-year-old’s rape
The family of a Missouri teenager is suing Snapchat parent company Snap, claiming the social media platform facilitated her rape as a 12-year-old. Snapchat features such as Quick Add and Snap Map enabled assailant Gabriel Joel Valentin-Rios to connect with and groom the girl, referred to as J.F., the complaint alleges.
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