Families of children lost to social media harms protest outside Snapchat HQ
Parents demand changes to Snapchat
Advocates and more than 40 families from across the US and UK whose kids have passed away from social media harms blocked traffic and painted the names of their kids in the street in Santa Monica on Thursday. Their goal is to create a pop-up memorial to their children and demand safety changes to Snapchat's platform.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Dozens of families from across the U.S. and U.K. gathered outside Snapchat’s headquarters in Santa Monica Thursday morning to protest what they describe as social media harms that led to their children’s deaths.
Advocates say many of the children died from fentanyl poisoning they claim was facilitated through the platform.
What we know:
The protest took place near 31st Street between Ocean Park Boulevard and the airport, outside Snapchat’s headquarters.
Organizers said advocates and more than 40 families whose children have passed away due to social media harms planned to block traffic and paint the names of more than 100 children in the street.
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In doing so, families said they aimed to create a pop-up memorial to their children while demanding safety changes to Snapchat’s platform.
Many of the families involved in the demonstration said they lost their children to fentanyl poisoning facilitated by Snapchat.
The timing of the protest is significant, as a landmark social media addiction trial is getting underway downtown.
The other side:
In a statement to FOX 11, a Snap spokesperson said:
"Snap unequivocally condemns the criminal conduct of the drug dealers whose actions led to these tragedies. Addressing the fentanyl crisis demands a united front, bringing together law enforcement, government officials, medical professionals, parents, educators, tech companies, and advocacy organizations. We have long recognized the urgency of this issue and have devoted substantial resources to combating illegal activity on our platform, including decisive action against drug dealers."
The Source: This report is based on direct observations of the protest at Snapchat’s Santa Monica headquarters and statements provided by advocacy organizers representing the 40 involved families. Official responses were obtained through direct correspondence between Snap Inc. spokespeople and FOX 11.