Snapchat is facing a lawsuit after a teen who was cyberbullied took his own life.
The parent company of Snapchat and two messaging apps face a lawsuit after a teen who was cyberbullied took his own life.
According to a copy of the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California, the apps – Snapchat, YOLO and LMK – are accused of “falsely promising the enforcement of safeguards” against bullying on its platforms.
The suit was filed by Kristin Bride, representing the estate of her 16-year-old son, Carson Bride, who killed himself last June.
The lawsuit alleges the apps are “inherently dangerous” and misrepresented claims about how they would handle cyberbullying.
For example, Yolo said it would reveal the identities of users and ban them if they engaged in bullying or harassment, the lawsuit says. LMK also claims to have zero-tolerance policies against harassment, the suit says.
The excerpt read:
“Facts alleged here demonstrate that Defendants’ apps are unable or unwilling to take action and carry out their promises to safeguard children,”
After his death, Carson’s family learned he had been harassed on all three apps, the lawsuit says.
The nonprofit organization Tyler Clementi Foundation, which was created to end bullying in schools, also is named as a plaintiff in the case.
In a statement, Snap said they would suspend both YOLO and LMK integrations from Snapchat while the claims are being investigated.
Although LMK and YOLO operate as independent apps, they offer features available to use on Snapchat, such as polls or Q&As.