What to Do If Your Child Is Targeted by a Predator on Snapchat: A Guide for Parents
Snapchat, a photo-based social media messaging platform popular with children and teenagers, is the subject of numerous lawsuits alleging that the app’s safety failures have made it easy for predators to sexually abuse and extort children. If your child has experienced grooming, sextortion, exploitation, or other child sexual abuse on Snapchat, you have legal rights and options for holding the responsible parties accountable.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
Helping Survivors can connect you with an attorney if you may have a case. While we cannot report a crime on your behalf, your safety is important. Please contact your local authorities for further assistance.
Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- Child sexual exploitation and abuse are serious crimes and are never the victim’s fault.
- If your child is facing sextortion, grooming, or sexual abuse on Snapchat, take steps to gather evidence, stop communications with the predator, and report the abuse to Snapchat and law enforcement as soon as possible.
- To learn more about your legal rights and options if your child has been abused via Snapchat, contact Helping Survivors today.
My Child Is Being Exploited on Snapchat. What Do I Do?
Digital child sexual exploitation and abuse occur when online predators groom children and teenagers to coerce them into sharing personal information, explicit photos, or videos online. These predators often use fake profiles on social media platforms like Snapchat to pose as similarly aged children to gain minor users’ trust.
If your child or teen becomes a victim of online exploitation or abuse, remain calm and remember that it is not their fault. Ensure they know they’re not alone, and that there is a way out. Stop all communications with the predator and preserve all evidence before contacting law enforcement and reporting the abuse to Snapchat.
In some cases of abuse or exploitation on Snapchat, you may have grounds to file an online grooming lawsuit against the perpetrator or the social media platform itself for failing to protect your child from predators.
Step 1 - Do Not Pay The Blackmailer & Cease Communication
If your child is being sexually extorted on Snapchat, do not pay the predator the money they request under any circumstances. Victims should never send money or more images, as it can make the situation worse very quickly.
Instead, stop communication immediately to reduce the risk of further coercion, manipulation, and harm. In addition, report the predator’s account on the platform and block them after saving the profile information and all messages.
Step 2 – Preserve Evidence Before Taking Action
On Snapchat, the disappearing messages feature deletes photos after they are viewed, and written messages disappear after 24 hours unless they are saved. This feature can limit the evidence available in online extortion and grooming cases.
If possible, screenshot all messages, photos, and videos, as well as usernames and links the predator may have sent. Take notes about the dates, times, and context of the messages. The more evidence you can gather, the better your odds of holding the responsible parties accountable.
- My Child Is Being Exploited on Snapchat. What Do I Do?
- Step 1 – Do Not Pay The Blackmailer & Cease Communication
- Step 2 – Preserve Evidence Before Taking Action
- Step 3 – Report the Abuse to Snapchat
- Step 4 – Report to Law Enforcement
- Step 5 – Legal Options for Parents and Survivors
- Step 6 – After Reporting: Next Steps for Parents
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Speak With a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney
Step 3 – Report the Abuse to Snapchat
The fastest way to report accounts or content to Snapchat’s safety team is in the Snapchat app: press and hold a message or user, then tap the “Report” button. When you submit a report in the Snapchat app, moderators will review the content or account for policy violations. If Snapchat determines its rules were violated, it may remove the content or restrict the account.
Step 4 – Report to Law Enforcement
After reporting abuse to Snapchat, consider reporting it to local law enforcement, the FBI, or the Department of Homeland Security. Include the child’s information, a description of the abuse, any information on the suspect, and any evidence you may have gathered in the report. If you believe your child is at risk of immediate danger, call 911.
To report child sexual exploitation to the FBI, submit a tip online or contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline online or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST. You can also submit a report to the Know2Protect Tipline at 833-591-KNOW. The sooner you report the crime, the better.
Step 5 – Legal Options for Parents and Survivors
Financially motivated sextortion occurs when predators pose as someone else online to coerce victims into sending them sexually explicit photos and videos, then demand payment or threaten to share the photos. If the perpetrator’s identity is known, they can face criminal charges. However, parents may also be entitled to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator or Snapchat’s parent company for endangering their child.
Civil child sexual abuse lawsuits allow victims to recover compensation for therapy costs, emotional harm, and other damages. At Helping Survivors, we work to connect families with experienced attorneys who can guide them through the legal process of a child sex abuse lawsuit.
Step 6 – After Reporting: Next Steps for Parents
Any child can be a victim of financially motivated sextortion, though victims are often males between the ages of 14 and 17. There have been a high number of suicides identified in male victims of sextortion schemes. In cases of grooming, young girls are often the targets. After reporting the abuse your child experienced, provide ongoing support with counseling and by monitoring their online activity. Keep an eye out for additional signs of grooming. Additionally, collaborate with law enforcement and attorneys during investigations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools can I use to remove explicit images from Snapchat?
There are numerous tools parents can use to attempt to remove explicit images of their children from the internet, though this can be a difficult task. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offers trained advocates for crisis intervention, resources to help families rebuild, and a peer support network for children and families. NCMEC also works with tech industry partners to reduce child sexual abuse material online and can provide guidance on removing these photos and videos from the internet.
Can I Report Snapchat Abuse Anonymously?
On Snapchat, abuse must be reported through the child’s account. You may be able to report abuse to law enforcement anonymously, but they typically require personal information to thoroughly investigate. However, in some cases, civil lawsuits can be filed under a pseudonym to protect your child’s identity.
What Evidence Do I Need for a Civil Lawsuit?
In a civil Snapchat sexual abuse lawsuit, you may need evidence like messages, photos, videos, communication records from all platforms with the predator, bank transactions if the child sent payments, and more.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit Against Snapchat or the Perpetrator?
The deadline for filing a lawsuit over Snapchat abuse varies depending on the type of claim, the nature of the abuse, the age of the victim, and, most importantly, the jurisdiction where the lawsuit is filed. In many states, statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse cases have been extended or removed entirely, allowing lawsuits years after the abuse occurred.
What Are My Child’s Rights After Reporting?
Some states have victims’ bills of rights or similar laws that protect victims’ rights throughout the criminal justice process. You may also have the right to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator or Snapchat on behalf of your child.
Speak With a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney
At Helping Survivors, we work to heal, educate, and empower victims of sexual abuse and their families by providing them with resources and information and connecting them with our partner law firms.
The firms we partner with have experienced child sexual abuse attorneys who represent families in civil lawsuits against the individuals and organizations that perpetrated and enabled the abuse. Our legal partners work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t pay anything unless they successfully resolve your case.
Contact us today to be connected with confidential, trauma-informed support.
Lawsuit investigation underway
Has Your Child Been Exploited on Snapchat? Take Action
If your child or teen met a predator on Snapchat and experienced grooming or exploitation, your family may have legal options. A Snapchat lawsuit investigation is currently underway. Get in touch with our trusted legal partners for a free case evaluation, and to learn what steps you can take to hold Snapchat accountable.