Arkansas Sues Snapchat. Attorney General Griffin Sues Snap, Inc. for Putting Minors at Risk and Deceiving Parents about Protections for Kids Griffin: 'Snap built its fortune on messages that disappear without a trace. But the permanent damage to Arkansas children - and Snap's responsibility for that damage - will not fade away' LITTLE ROCK - Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against Snap, Inc. (Snap), the parent company of the popular social media platform Snapchat. The lawsuit seeks to hold Snap accountable for engaging in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices, creating a public nuisance that is negatively impacting the health and safety of Arkansans, and unjustly enriching itself at the expense of the health and wellbeing of Arkansas kids. Griffin issued the following statement: "Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world and is especially popular among teens. Millions of minors, including thousands of kids in Arkansas, use the platform every day. In building its platform, which includes core features such as disappearing messages, cosmetic filters, and curated content, Snap exposed minors to a variety of foreseeable harms. These harms have included sextortion rings, predatory grooming, violent content, illegal drug marketplaces, unrealistic beauty standards, and an untested My AI chatbot that delivers dangerous and inappropriate advice. "These dangers were amplified by some of Snapchat's core features like disappearing messages and automatically vanishing content. Such features gave kids the illusion of protection and facilitated them making impulsive decisions about what to share online. "Because of key features that Snap designed, predators, traffickers, drug dealers, extortionists, and other offenders have repeatedly used Snapchat to contact, groom, monitor, and coerce children. These threats are not abstract or theoretical. Arkansas law enforcement, parents, and educators have consistently identified Snapchat as a primary tool used by adults seeking to exploit minors. "These design features also replicated the kind of dopamine feedback loops present in slot-machine mechanics, pushing young people to stay on the platform to chase the next dopamine hit. And none of this was by accident. Snap's design choices were calculated to leverage the developmental vulnerabilities of minors. Snapchat's designers exploited teens' craving for social approval, their sensitivity to exclusion, and their susceptibility to impulse-driven reward systems. Snap knowingly built its platform to create addiction in its children to maximize profits over people, all the while marketing Snapchat to parents as being safe and 'family-friendly.' "The harm to teens is bad enough, but Snapchat hasn't even effectively enforced its own age restriction, meaning children under the age of 13 are being exposed to addictive features and lurking threats. Snapchat's age-verification system relies entirely on self-reported birthdays with guardrails that any child with a cursory understanding of online systems can bypass. "With this lawsuit, I am seeking to hold Snap accountable and am seeking all remedies available, including, but not limited to, injunctive relief, civil penalties, damages, restitution, and abatement. Snap built its fortune on messages that disappear without a trace. But the permanent damage to Arkansas children - and Snap's responsibility for that damage - will not fade away. Snap must answer for these harms." About Attorney General Tim Griffin Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state's 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas's Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority. Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master's degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

Arkansas Attorney General files lawsuit against Snap, Inc. over risks to minors on Snapchat. Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a lawsuit against Snap, Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, in Little Rock on June 25. The suit alleges that Snap engaged in deceptive and unconscionable trade practices, created a public nuisance affecting the health and safety of Arkansans, and was unjustly enriched at the expense of Arkansas children's wellbeing. Griffin said in a statement, "Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world and is especially popular among teens. Millions of minors, including thousands of kids in Arkansas, use the platform every day. In building its platform, which includes core features such as disappearing messages, cosmetic filters, and curated content, Snap exposed minors to a variety of foreseeable harms. These harms have included sextortion rings, predatory grooming, violent content, illegal drug marketplaces, unrealistic beauty standards, and an untested My AI chatbot that delivers dangerous and inappropriate advice." Griffin continued by saying that Snapchat's design choices amplified these dangers: "These dangers were amplified by some of Snapchat's core features like disappearing messages and automatically vanishing content. Such features gave kids the illusion of protection and facilitated them making impulsive decisions about what to share online." He also said that predators have used Snapchat to contact or exploit children: "Because of key features that Snap designed, predators, traffickers, drug dealers, extortionists, and other offenders have repeatedly used Snapchat to contact, groom, monitor, and coerce children. These threats are not abstract or theoretical. Arkansas law enforcement...have consistently identified Snapchat as a primary tool used by adults seeking to exploit minors." The complaint further alleges that Snap intentionally leveraged young users' vulnerabilities for profit: "These design features also replicated the kind of dopamine feedback loops present in slot-machine mechanics...Snap knowingly built its platform to create addiction in our children to maximize profits over people," Griffin said. According to Griffin's statement, "With this lawsuit I am seeking all remedies available...injunctive relief, civil penalties, damages, restitution and abatement. Snap built its fortune on messages that disappear without a trace. But the permanent damage to Arkansas children - and Snap's responsibility for that damage - will not fade away." The Arkansas Attorney General's office engages in initiatives addressing public integrity; offers consumer protection services; handles civil and criminal matters; supports public safety initiatives; serves all residents with legal services; provides resources for fraud reporting, legal opinions, and community education programs; operates within legal/public safety sectors at state level according to the official website.

Arkansas AG Griffin sues Snap Inc., alleging Snapchat features endangered minors. by Thomas Farrar Thu, June 25, 2026 at 10:30 AM Arkansas AG Griffin sues Snap Inc., alleging Snapchat features endangered minors (Photo KATV). LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) - Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin is filing suit against Snap Inc., the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, alleging they engaged in deceptive business practices that harmed children across the state. Griffin's lawsuit accuses Snap of violating consumer protection laws, creating a public nuisance and unjustly enriching itself through platform features he says exposed minors to risks including sexual exploitation, drug activity, and mental health harms. The complaint says Snapchat's design features - including disappearing messages, temporary content and personalized content recommendations - posed foreseeable dangers for young users. "Snap built its fortune on messages that disappear without a trace. But the permanent damage to Arkansas children - and Snap's responsibility for that damage - will not fade away," Griffin said. Griffin said Arkansas law enforcement officials, parents and educators have identified Snapchat as a commonly used platform in cases involving the exploitation of children. The lawsuit also claims Snapchat's design encourages excessive use among young people by using features that trigger reward-based behavior and keep users engaged for longer periods. Griffin alleges the company knowingly designed the platform to capitalize on the developmental vulnerabilities of teenagers while marketing the app as safe for families. The attorney general further alleges Snapchat has failed to effectively enforce its minimum age requirement of 13 years old, relying primarily on self-reported birth dates that children can easily circumvent. The state is seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, damages, restitution and other remedies. Snap Inc. had not publicly responded to the lawsuit at the time of the announcement. SPONSORED CONTENT MORE TO EXPLORE