Snapchat: Prevent Pedophiles from Sharing Abuse Videos
Content Warning: Sexual abuse
Led by national parent group ParentsTogether, 100,000 parents around the country have signed a petition demanding that Snapchat use technology that scans for abusive videos to keep kids safe on the platform. Currently, Snapchat only scans the app for photos of child sexual abuse and not video. The massively popular platform is used by 92% of social media users ages 12-17 and receives 1.4 billion video views everyday.
The petition to Snapchat says:
“Snapchat must do better to protect children from grooming, sexual abuse, and exploitation on Snapchat. Snapchat must immediately commit to proactively using PhotoDNA to look for both photos and videos of child sexual abuse material and reporting all material to law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”
Some recent of examples of child sexual abuse incidents that have taken place on Snapchat include:
- 3 Ohio men raped an unconscious teen girl in a hotel room and shared the video on Snapchat.
- A high school coach in New Mexico used Snapchat to extort sexual videos from several girls as young as 14.
- A Cleveland man posed as a therapist and blackmailed a 13-year-old girl into sending him sexual videos and photos.
- A Virginia man was arrested for running a “sextortion” ring on Snapchat, coercing children into sending sexually explicit material
- A Nebraska man posted a video of himself having sex with a teen girl on Snapcat
- A Florida mad was arrested for sending CSAM videos to children on Snapchat
- A Pennsylvania man filmed a sexual video with a 15-year-old without her consent and shared it with her friends, some as young as 13, on Snapchat.