Artificial Intelligence1 min read

West Virginia sues Snapchat over chatbot's alleged dangerous advice to teenagers

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The complaint, filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court, accuses Snap Inc. of deploying its "My AI" tool in April 2023 without conducting sufficient safety testing for underage users. Independent testing revealed the automated software encouraged minors to conceal illicit substance use and facilitated inappropriate conversations about meeting adult men. Furthermore, the state claims the feature continues monitoring youth location data despite privacy settings like Ghost Mode being activated. The litigation additionally challenges claims of conversation privacy by alleging youth chats are sent directly to OpenAI.

Key points

  • Regulators argue that marketing artificial intelligence as a personal human companion pos…: Regulators argue that marketing artificial intelligence as a personal human companion poses severe safeguarding risks for underage users.
  • The lawsuit asserts that the social media platform actively deceived parents regarding th…: The lawsuit asserts that the social media platform actively deceived parents regarding the actual privacy and safety of automated interactions.
  • User data and children's chatbot conversations were allegedly transmitted to third-party…: User data and children's chatbot conversations were allegedly transmitted to third-party artificial intelligence developer OpenAI without adequate transparency.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, accusing the social media company of exposing children to potentially dangerous artificial intelligence advice without adequately testing its chatbot. The complaint, brought by Attorney General John B. McCuskey, alleges that Snapchat misled parents about the safety of its platform and the privacy of conversations with My AI. Filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court on November 5, 2026, the case also raises concerns about location tracking, harmful content and the chatbot's ability to encourage children to trust it like a human friend.

Why West Virginia is suing Snapchat over My AI

The lawsuit centres on My AI, Snapchat's chatbot that allows users to interact with an artificial intelligence assistant directly within the app. According to the complaint filed by the West Virginia Attorney General, Snap Inc. introduced the feature to children despite insufficient safety testing and concerns about how the chatbot might respond to young users.

The state's filing alleges that My AI was released to all Snapchat users, including minors, on April 19, 2023, after only a short testing period. Before its…

Artificial Intelligence