*Warning: link contains screenshots from Snapchat with graphic content.*
On October 26, Jennifer Stout, Snapchat's VP of Global Public Policy, testified about social media companies' role in protecting kids online. When questioned regarding the age-appropriateness of Snapchat's content by Senator Mike Lee, Stout responded, "Senator, the content that appears in Snapchat is appropriate for an age group that is 13 and above." Senator Lee responded, "I beg to differ. In anticipation of this discussion, and this hearing, I had my staff create a Snapchat account for a 15-year-old child. They didn’t select any content preferences for the account. They simply entered a name, birth year, and email address. And then when they opened the Discover page on Snapchat, with its default settings, [they] were immediately bombarded with content that I can most politely describe as wildly inappropriate for a child."
Children ages 13 and above have access to explicit sexual material promoting immoral activity (and even younger as children can lie about a birthdate since Snapchat does not have age verification). This content does not align with the protection of children and Snapchat should be held accountable. If your child has Snapchat, ask your child if you can see their 'Discover' page, set by the automatic algorithm of Snapchat.
To read more about Snapchat's inappropriate content, click here.