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 wider launch, the company had made the chatbot available to Snapchat+ subscribers, including thousands of teenagers, in what it described as a way to test new features at scale.The Attorney General’s November 5 announcement says the lawsuit accuses Snap of rushing the chatbot into children’s hands without adequately assessing its risks. The state argues that the company’s assurances about safety did not reflect the problems associated with the technology.
What dangerous advice did the chatbot allegedly provide
The complaint highlights examples of My AI allegedly giving inappropriate advice to users who identified themselves as children. According to the West Virginia Attorney General’s announcement, independent testing reported by The Washington Post found the chatbot advising a user who said they were 15 on how to hide the smell of alcohol and marijuana.Another reported interaction involved a user who said she was 12 and planning to meet a 31-year-old man. The chatbot allegedly offered suggestions on making a first sexual encounter romantic.The filing also cites tests in which the chatbot allegedly denied being artificial intelligence and presented itself as a real person. In one example, it reportedly claimed to be a 25-year-old man and suggested meeting a user posing as a 13-year-old.These examples form part of the state’s broader argument that children could receive unsafe responses while interacting with a chatbot presented as a helpful companion.
Snapchat encouraged children to trust My AI like a friend
The lawsuit also questions the way Snapchat introduced and presented its chatbot. According to the complaint, the company promoted My AI as a personal sidekick and allowed users to give it names and customise its avatar.The chatbot could also appear on users’ Best Friends lists, potentially making it feel more like an ordinary relationship than an interaction with software.The Attorney General argues that this presentation could encourage children to trust the chatbot and disclose information they might otherwise keep private. The complaint alleges that Snapchat’s design and marketing created an impression of familiarity without adequately explaining the limitations of artificial intelligence.The concern is particularly significant for younger users who may not fully understand how chatbots generate responses or distinguish between reliable information and potentially harmful suggestions.
How Ghost Mode and private conversations became privacy concerns
Another major issue raised in the case involves Snapchat’s location settings. The complaint alleges that My AI can access a child’s location even when Ghost Mode is switched on.Ghost Mode is intended to hide a user’s location from friends on Snapchat. However, the lawsuit argues that enabling the setting does not prevent My AI from accessing location information.All About Cookies, in its November 10 report on the case, explained that the allegation raises questions about the difference between hiding a location from friends and preventing the platform’s artificial intelligence from accessing it.The lawsuit also challenges Snapchat’s statements about the privacy of conversations. According to the Attorney General’s announcement, the complaint alleges that children’s conversations with My AI are sent to OpenAI, while conversation content is shared with Microsoft Advertising to select advertisements displayed within chatbot replies.The state argues that these practices conflict with Snapchat’s privacy assurances concerning private communications and service providers.
What the lawsuit alleges about Snapchat’s wider safety failures
The case extends beyond My AI and examines Snapchat’s broader approach to protecting children. The Attorney General’s announcement says the complaint accuses the company of marketing its platform as safe while exposing young users to sexual exploitation, harmful content and features encouraging compulsive use.The filing cites internal company records concerning moderation and abuse reporting. According to the state, Snap acknowledged in a June 2022 review that grooming was prominent on the platform and that predators felt confident because the company had not actively searched for them.The complaint also alleges that, at one point, 96.7% of reported accounts did not lead to review, while 86.3% of sexual content flagged by the company’s systems expired before being reviewed.The state further challenges features such as disappearing messages, streaks and endless scrolling, arguing that they can make it harder to preserve evidence of abuse and encourage children to spend excessive time on the platform.
What West Virginia wants from the court
West Virginia filed the case under its Consumer Credit and Protection Act, alleging unfair or deceptive business practices. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction, consumer restitution, disgorgement, civil penalties and other equitable relief.The Attorney General’s announcement also says the state is seeking court-ordered changes to Snapchat’s safety practices.The lawsuit comes amid wider concerns about online exploitation involving children. McCuskey’s office highlighted the deaths of 2 West Virginia children who were targeted through Snapchat, including 15-year-old Bryce Tate, whose death followed a sextortion scheme in November 2025.Alongside the legal action, the Attorney General announced funding for the Shield Initiative, an educational campaign developed by the Bryce Tate Memorial Foundation. Its message encourages young people facing sextortion to stop, screenshot threatening messages and show them to a trusted adult.