“More Snap. More problems” was the motto of the march and protest in front of the headquarters of the instant messaging social network Snapchat, in Santa Monica, by mothers who have lost a child, as a result of misinformation, cyberbullying, sexualtortion and the illegal sale of deadly fentanyl.
From Clover Park and walking several blocks along Ocean Park Blvd., dozens of families, especially women, went to the Snap Inc. headquarters, at 2272 Donald Douglas Loop North, where they expressed their anger because the Owners of the digital platform have refused to add an algorithm that could alert parents of any danger.
“I am the mother of Sammy Chapman, who will always be 16 years old,” Dr. Laura Berman told La Opinión.
Sammy was an academically excellent student. He was part of his high school football team and was talking about the possibility of applying for internships because he wanted to improve his NYU application profile. He dreamed of studying international business.
“Sheltering and isolating at home during the pandemic, he was contacted by a drug dealer via Snapchat and sent a colorful menu of drugs that he would deliver to the house like a pizza,” Dr. Berman said. “My son was curious, he decided to take it and tried something that was pure fentanyl.”
The drug dealer gave him Xanax or Percocet laced with fentanyl. Sammy accidentally overdosed in his room. The teenager died on February 21, 2021.
She and her youngest son discovered Sammy’s limp body.
That fateful February 21, Sammy had ordered a hamburger from his dad, Samuel Chapman. An hour later, Laura’s mother entered her room to continue the conversation about the internship that Sammy wanted.
It was already too late. The child was lying on the floor.
At the end of the caravan of protesters, Dr. Laura Berman reported on the efforts for the United States Congress to pass the bill HR 5778 or Sammy’s Law, sponsored by Florida Congresswoman Debbie Waserman Schultz.
“Sammy’s Law is very simple, but powerful,” said the human relations therapist and television host. “It requires that any social media platform that provides access to children allow parents – if they wish – to integrate third-party safety software.”
That means the software would be on the child’s devices, integrated with Snapchat, where if the child were chatting with anyone about cyberbullying, substance abuse, suicide, sexting, sextortion, drug and human trafficking, eating disorders , self-harm and violence, parents would be alerted immediately.
“If we had had that, Sammy would still be here today, talking to me,” the grieving mother said. “The moment that drug dealer started talking to my son, if that algorithm had existed, he would have alerted us.”
The Chapman family is one of five who have filed lawsuits against Snap Inc. by the Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVC), on behalf of 65 families who have lost one of their children.
The lawsuit alleges that, because of built-in features like disappearing messages, the sale of drugs to minors on Snapchat’s platform was “the foreseeable result of the designs, structures and policies that Snap chose to implement to increase its revenue.”
In April 2023, the legal groups that filed the civil suit on behalf of the families amended the complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Snap Inc. knew for years that Snapchat was being used as a “digital drug marketplace.” outdoors,” and that company executives “knew that Snapchat was being used to connect minors and young adults with drug dealers who sold them deadly narcotics as early as 2017.”
Richard Roger, forever 18
Amber Roger has the face of her son Richard printed on her t-shirt, who was 18 years old when she consumed half of a pill, supposedly to relieve pain, but in reality it was fentanyl.
“When my son was 16 years old he had a bicycle accident and suffered trauma to one of his legs,” Mrs. Roger recalled.
Richard spent several months in a rehabilitation hospital in Loma Linda. He spent a year learning to walk again.
Because of the injuries sustained, the teenager was to receive lifelong pain treatment.
“My son was on a low dose of medication, but then Covid-19 hit and when everything shut down, he couldn’t get his medication one night and went on Snapchat.”
On the social network, “someone” offered him what he thought was a painkiller. The pill was delivered to him at his house.
“Does it really relieve the pain?” they asked the seller. His response was affirmative.
Richard, who was just beginning his studies at a barber school, died on September 14, 2020 in the bathroom of his house and left behind a little girl who was barely three months old.
“My son had a future and it was cut short by the over-the-counter sale of fentanyl,” the mother said, through tears. “He just tried to get something to ease his pain.”
Richard’s death was ruled an accidental death.
Amber Roger believes that the criminals who sell the synthetic opioid that is ending the lives of thousands of young Americans “be held accountable” and that “something be done with the Snapchat application, that can be blocked, because we cannot monitor all the time what our children do.”
Fentanyl Awareness
Snapchat has 800 million monthly active users worldwide, including 414 million daily active users. On average, more than 4.75 billion Snaps are created every day. Snapchat generated $4.61 billion in annual revenue in 2023, and Gen Z kids make up 51.1% of Snapchat’s monthly active user base in the United States, more than any other social media platform.
On its website, Snap Inc. reports that it joined the third annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day on May 7. Indicating that they work “constantly to prevent abuse of our service by criminals seeking to distribute illicit drugs, including counterfeit pills.”
Snapchat and security
The company reports that, regarding the technology and security of the social platform:
Snapchat is an app designed to bring the people who matter most to you together in real life by communicating privately, such as in face-to-face conversations or talking on the phone. Although messages are deleted by default, “we do take action on illegal or abusive content, either because we proactively detect it or because it is reported to us, we retain that content for an extended period. “We have been working for years to eliminate drug traffickers who attempt to operate our platform, including through the use of advanced technologies.”
Proactive detection tools: “We regularly implement and improve technology that helps us proactively find and close distributor accounts. “Our most advanced models now help us proactively identify approximately 94% of detected illicit drug activity, allowing us to remove this content before it can be reported to us.”
Quick action on reports: “Our trust and safety team works 24 hours a day to respond to any reports we receive of drug-related content as quickly as possible. Our most recent Transparency Report shows that our team typically responds to drug-related reports in less than an hour.”
Search blocking: “We block search results for a wide range of drug-related terms, instead of redirecting Snapchatters to expert resources on the dangers of fentanyl.”
Coordination with other platforms: “Knowing that drug traffickers use a variety of services to communicate, we work with experts and other technology companies to share patterns and signals of drug-related content and activity, allowing us to improve our enforcement efforts.” proactive detection to find and remove drug content and dealer accounts.”