California Judge Rules Snapchat Must Face Lawsuit Over Alleged Children’s Fentanyl Purchases
A California state judge, Lawrence Riff, has ruled that Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, must confront a lawsuit filed by families whose children allegedly used the Snapchat app to purchase fentanyl, a potent opioid. The ruling, issued on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, allows a dozen claims to proceed against Snap, with the relatives of young individuals claiming their children suffered fentanyl overdoses, many of which resulted in fatalities.
Judge Riff’s decision has the potential to challenge the tech industry’s legal immunity shield, known as Section 230, which has traditionally protected social media platforms from certain legal actions. This ruling may expose tech companies to increased scrutiny and more lawsuits related to content moderation.
Snap will now face allegations encompassing product defects, negligence, and wrongful death, with the ruling marking a significant development in overcoming Section 230 protections. The decision indicates that Snap will be required to defend itself against claims that extend beyond holding it responsible for the content posted by third-party drug dealers on the platform.
While Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been a crucial tool for tech companies, Riff argued that it does not apply in this case because the lawsuit targets Snap’s independent product and business decisions rather than holding it accountable for the content generated by drug sellers.
In response to the ruling, Snap stated that it collaborates closely with law enforcement to investigate violations of its anti-drug policies and uses technology to proactively detect drug dealers’ activity. The company expressed its intention to continue contesting the plaintiffs’ claims, asserting that they are both legally and factually flawed.
This development follows a similar trend in legal challenges to Section 230, as a federal judge in November allowed product liability claims to proceed against tech giants Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), Snap, and TikTok. The lawsuit alleges that these companies contributed to a youth mental health crisis by failing to implement effective parental controls and promoting image filters that allegedly harm users’ appearance.
If successful, these legal actions could impact a range of similar claims filed against Meta by numerous state attorneys general, who allege that the company harmed the mental health of teens through features like persistent mobile notifications and other addictive app features.
