Pennsylvania Sues Snapchat Over 13+ Rating, Alleged Addictive Design

Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday has sued Snap Inc., accusing the company of misleading parents about Snapchat’s 13+ age rating while using design features the state claims encourage compulsive use among young people.

Filed Tuesday, Aug. 25, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the lawsuit relies on Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, which allows the attorney general to challenge unfair or deceptive business practices.

Pennsylvania claims Snap understated the mature content available on Snapchat when providing information used for age ratings in major app stores. The company describes sexual material, profanity, drug and alcohol references, and other mature content as infrequent or mild, contributing to a 13+ rating in Apple’s App Store and a Teen rating through Google Play and Microsoft.

Apple uses developers’ answers about available content to help determine the age rating shown to consumers, while also allowing developers to select a higher rating. Pennsylvania argues Snapchat’s rating does not accurately reflect what teenage users can encounter on the platform.

As part of its investigation, the attorney general’s office created a Snapchat account with a birth date identifying the user as 13. The filing states that investigators found explicit language, sexual material, and content involving drugs and alcohol available to that account. State lawyers argue parents rely on age ratings and content descriptions when deciding whether to let their children use an app.

Pennsylvania also alleges Snapchat is designed to promote repeated and prolonged use, particularly among younger users. The state points to Snapstreaks, disappearing messages, infinite scrolling, and push notifications as features that encourage people to return frequently or stay on the platform longer.

Snapstreaks count the number of consecutive days two users exchange Snaps and alert them when a streak is close to ending. Sunday argues younger users can treat the streaks as a measure of their friendships and feel pressure to maintain them. The state also claims disappearing content encourages frequent checking because messages and posts can vanish after a limited period.

Parental controls are part of the state’s deception allegations as well. Snap has promoted its Family Center as a way for parents to gain more insight into their teenagers’ activity, while Pennsylvania claims the tools provide limited information about the content young users encounter and the risks associated with their use of the app.

Under Pennsylvania’s consumer protection law, deceptive practices can include misleading statements or important information left out when consumers are deciding whether to use a product or service. The state is also relying on an unfairness theory that can challenge the conduct itself, arguing that Snap’s design features promote prolonged or compulsive use among minors.

Snap disputes Pennsylvania’s characterization of the platform. The company said the allegations “fundamentally misrepresent” Snapchat and its approach to teen safety, adding that the app was built around self-expression and communication with friends rather than opening directly to a content feed.

Sunday also sued TikTok earlier this month under a similar Pennsylvania consumer protection theory. Snap and other major social media companies are separately defending thousands of lawsuits alleging their platforms contributed to mental health injuries among young users.

Pennsylvania is seeking civil penalties and court orders preventing future violations of the state’s consumer protection law. The lawsuit remains pending.