Texas sues Snapchat for allegedly harming minors, misleading parents

KERA | By Lucio Vasquez |The Texas Newsroom

Published February 11, 2026 at 1:21 PM CST

The Snapchat app icon is displayed among other social media apps on a smartphone screen.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, accusing the social media platform of misleading parents about the app's safety and exposing children to harmful and addictive features.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges Snapchat promoted itself as safe for young users while failing to warn parents about exposure to mature content, including profanity, sexual material, nudity and drug-related posts. The app allows users to send photos and videos that disappear after being viewed, and is widely used by teenagers and young adults.

Paxton also claims certain features — including "Snapstreaks," which encourage daily use — are designed to increase engagement in ways that can harm minors.

"I will not allow Snapchat to harm our kids by running a business designed to get Texas children addicted to a platform filled with obscene and destructive content," Paxton said in a statement. "Parents have a fundamental right to know the dangers of the apps their kids are using and not be lied to by Big Tech companies."

According to the lawsuit, Paxton is seeking to stop what the state describes as "false, misleading, and deceptive representations" made to Texas minors and their parents. In a statement to The Texas Newsroom, a spokesperson for Snapchat said Paxton's lawsuit "fundamentally distorts" how the app works.

"There is no single safety measure or policy that can eliminate every potential risk online — just as there isn't offline," the statement read.

Snapchat leaders have also publicly supported measures like the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which was signed into law last year and would've required adults and minors to verify their age before downloading apps or making in-app purchases. A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the law from taking effect in December.

Paxton has previously pursued similar lawsuits against other social media platforms, including TikTok and Roblox, as part of a broader effort targeting online safety and consumer protection issues involving minors.