The state of Utah is suing Snapchat over features it says are designed to addict children, while potentially exposing them to illegal drug sales, predatory adults and an artificial intelligence feature that has “known risks.”

That’s according to a complaint filed on Monday in Salt Lake County’s 3rd District Court, accusing the popular social media app of violating Utah’s Consumer Sales Practices and Consumer Privacy acts.

It’s the latest attempt by Utah to target the legality of how social media companies interact with minors — the state has now filed four lawsuits against major social media companies, including similar complaints against Meta and TikTok.

However, Snap (Snapchat’s parent company) is accusing the state of trying to circumvent a court ruling last year that put a temporary hold on a Utah law requiring age verification for social media users. The company says it’s not against increased safety regulations, but called Utah’s demands “unconstitutional.”

Allegations of criminal activity and ‘gambling-like features’

In the 90-page complaint, attorneys for the state claim Snapchat leaves children vulnerable to exploitation, misleads parents into thinking the app is safe, and has “gambling-like” features that reward continuous use and compulsive scrolling.

The complaint cites examples where Snapchat’s artificial intelligence chatbot, My AI, was allegedly “giving a 13-year-old account advice on setting the mood for a sexual experience with a 31-year-old.” The attorney general’s office also gives several examples of drug deals and sex crimes involving Snapchat.

The complaint accuses Snapchat of knowingly incorporating and refining features that “facilitate, enable, and promote the distribution of drugs and sexual exploitation,” a violation of the state’s consumer sales practices act.

According to the complaint, Snap incorporates features that are “designed to be addictive to children,” including push notifications, beauty filters, personalized algorithms and the My AI chatbot. Meanwhile, the company hides or disincentivizes features that could decrease the time young people spend on the app, the lawsuit claims.

Addicting children and “ensuring their continued addiction” is also in violation of the state’s consumer sales practices act, the complaint reads — as is launching the My AI feature that had “known risks to drive engagement and profit.”

The state argues Snapchat is violating the Utah Consumer Privacy Act by failing to provide customers with the “ability to opt out of the sensitive data collected through Snapchat’s My AI feature.”

According to the lawsuit, Snap was informed of these violations in a May 2025 letter, but the company “did not cure any of the violations.” Utah is hoping a court will force Snap to follow the laws it claims the company is violating, and order restitution and other civil penalties.

“Utah is taking a stand to protect our kids in an increasingly digital world. This lawsuit against Snap is about accountability and about drawing a clear line: the well-being of our children must come before corporate profits,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in a statement Monday. “We won’t sit back while tech companies exploit young users. It’s time for commonsense protections that ensure a safer online experience for every minor.”

Snapchat says Utah is trying to circumvent a prior court ruling

In a statement, Snap said the company is committed to making the app a “safe and fun environment for our community, and have built privacy and safety features into our service from the start.”

The lawsuit comes about a year after Utah lawmakers passed a bill requiring social media companies verify the age of their users. NetChoice, a trade association for internet companies like Google, Meta and Snap, sued the state, arguing the law violated the First Amendment — in September, a judge temporarily blocked the law from going into effect.

Now Snap is accusing the state of trying to find a way around the court ruling.

“Unable to accept the court’s rejection of the state’s legislation, the Utah Attorney General is resorting to civil litigation as a means to circumvent the court and impose age verification requirements and age-related restrictions in ways that are unconstitutional,” a company spokesperson said in an email.

Snap said Utah’s lawsuit imposes restrictive and “technologically unfeasible” regulations that stifle free speech.

Billions of conversations take place on Snapchat each day, the vast majority of them to simply connect with friends and family, according to the company. Snap said it supports steps to increase online safety for children, including the recently-passed SB142, which requires Apple and Google’s app stores to verify a user’s age before making downloads.

The company also pointed to safety features that make teen accounts and friend lists private by default, and require a Snapchat user to be “friends” with someone before they can communicate with them. Other features allow parents to see who their child is talking to and who their friends are.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.