(PatriotSpotlight.org) – The father of a teenager who died after taking fentanyl has slammed Snapchat’s CEO amid ongoing legal proceedings with the firm. 16-year-old Sammy Chapman died in 2021 after purchasing the deadly opiate, after contact with a drug dealer via the Snapchat messaging app.
The victim’s father, Sam Chapman, who is pursuing a lawsuit against the social media giant, told Fox News’ “America Reports” news show on Wednesday that he did not accept the remarks of Snap Inc CEO-Snapchat’s parent company Evan Spiegel’s remarks during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
The hearing also collected verbal testimony from Linda Yaccarino of X, formerly known as Twitter, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Following the hearing, Chapman slammed what he referred to as Spiegel’s “mealy-mouthed apologies,” even going as far as accusing him of “a little bit of perjury”, stressing that he and other parents of victims wanted a reduction in exploitation and deaths linked to social media.
Spiegel told the Senate that Snap Inc systems monitor content with the intent of flagging that which is related to drugs and abuse and then removing it. He also said that accounts posting such material were deactivated and blocked from using the app on their device and that relevant authorities were informed of content when necessary
However, Chapman criticized the company, explaining that police had told the family that Snap had not replied to their requests relating to the investigation. He said the company only helped with the case after it garnered major press attention. He also suggested that Snapchat’s feature of disappearing messages and photos encourages dangerous actors to “operate with impunity.” He also complained that police needed secure access to the app’s “back end” so that data could be accessed in the event of a criminal probe.
Chapman also stressed that his campaign for “Sammy’s Law”, which would force social media sites to allow parents, or an approved third party, to manage their children’s account settings and activities “in real time”, had bi-partisan support. Former Democratic National Convention Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla introduced the bill in September, citing her own concerns as a parent as part of her motivation for backing the campaign.
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