Snapchat parent faces wrongful death lawsuit following teen’s suicide

Snapchat lawsuit overview:

• Who: The mother of a 13-year-old boy filed a Snapchat lawsuit.
• Why: She says her son died by suicide after being exploited by a predator on the site.
• Where: The Snapchat suicide lawsuit was filed in South Carolina federal court.

Snap Inc. faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the mother of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly died by suicide after falling victim to a predator who threatened to share sexually explicit photos of the child on Snapchat.

Plaintiff Elizabeth Ann Barnett filed the Snapchat suicide lawsuit May 17 as a personal representative of her son Timothy, claiming he killed himself after being the victim of sextortion on the social media platform.

“As a direct and foreseeable consequence of Snap’s unsafe design, lack of warnings and inadequate parental controls, Timothy fell victim to a sexual predator who extorted him by threatening to share sexually explicit images Timothy had been manipulated into sending via Snapchat,” the Snapchat lawsuit says.

Barnett says Timothy was unable to cope with the trauma and shame of the exposure and ended his life. 

Snapchat lawsuit says site fails to protect users from sham accounts

The Snapchat lawsuit points to a joint warning issued last year by the FBI and international law enforcement agencies about the global “financial sextortion crisis” in which predators set up fake profiles on social media and gaming websites to target young boys, tricking them into sending sexually explicit videos or photos.

The predators threaten to release the photos or videos unless the victim sends payment, but the predators often release the images regardless of whether payment is sent, the Snapchat suicide lawsuit claims.

Barnett alleges Snapchat’s design is unsafe for children in many ways, including a flawed age verification system, lack of meaningful protections against fake accounts, profiles made public by default, and ineffective parental controls. She says Snap has the technology to identify individuals who are misrepresenting their ages on the site yet fails to prevent such misrepresentations.

The Snapchat lawsuit notes a study conducted by Snap last year found 65% of teens and young adults say they know someone who has been targeted in a sextortion scheme or have been targeted themselves.

Barnett claims Snapchat is “unreasonably dangerous” because it fails to warn of the dangers associated with foreseeable use of the social media application and how to avoid falling for dangerous schemes.

The Snapchat suicide lawsuit asserts claims for strict liability design defect, failure to warn, negligence and wrongful death.

Another Snapchat lawsuit was filed by in January parents whose children allegedly died from fentanyl overdoses after purchasing the pills from other Snapchat users.

What do you think about the allegations in this Snapchat lawsuit? Join the discussion in the comments.

Barnett is represented by James M. Griffin and Margaret N. Fox of Griffin Humphries LLC and Joseph Kendrick Cunningham of Joe Cunningham Law LLC.

The Snapchat suicide lawsuit is Estate of Timothy Barnett, by and through Elizabeth Ann Barnett, as Personal Representative v. Snap Inc., Case No. 3:24-cv-03068, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Columbia Division.

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