Inappropriate content leads to lawsuit against app
While Snapchat is considered one of the most popular social media apps by Business Insider in the past year, some find Snapchat is too risqué for its younger audience. A concerned mother, among many others, filed a lawsuit against the company for its inappropriate content.
The mother’s grievance was directly related to content posted by advertisers such as Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, and People who are displayed freely to Snapchat’s entire audience despite the large number of younger subscribers.
Many students at California Baptist University use this app regularly. This includes Rebecca Hudson, junior liberal studies major, who is also concerned about the content displayed on the app because of her 11-year-old sister.
“It’s scary that at 11 she’s seeing things that I didn’t even see at 16 because she’s in a generation that is addicted to social media. It’s highly inappropriate and she shouldn’t be allowed to use the app.”
Many parents and older siblings have concerns over the content and the younger audience subjected to it. Other students, while recognizing the concerns, agree a solution needs to be presented but admit the problem isn’t with Snapchat. Some say it comes down to user responsibility.
“It begins with the parents. It’s not a secret that Cosmo, Buzzfeed and the Daily Mail are on Snapchat and that they are inappropriate,” said Lexi Gunn, sophomore music composition major.
Dr. Kristopher Floyd, professor of marketing, validated the mother’s concerns while confirming that placing an age limit on the app would cause negative backlash.
“It is important to have clear guidelines in place for content as well as consequences for noncompliance,” Floyd said. “Given that Snapchat’s user demographics are a bit younger, this is particularly important.”
Floyd and many students at CBU agree with the concerns not only for themselves but for those that may be too young.
“No parent wants their child to have exposure to inappropriate content. When a platform such as Snapchat exists, there is an expectation that users can utilize the platform in a safe manner. Snapchat and other platforms should have such measures in place so as not to face lawsuits,” Floyd said.
Despite the concern over Snapchat’s inappropriate content and its impact on the minors who use the app, many students at CBU still continue to use the popular app. Time will tell how advertisers on Snapchat adjust their content. to respect all users.
