WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a Texas teenager’s appeal to revive his lawsuit against Snap Inc. (SNAP.N), the owner of Snapchat, over allegations that the platform failed to protect underage users from sexual predators.
The plaintiff, a minor at the time the lawsuit was filed, accused Snapchat of negligence in a case involving Bonnie Guess-Mazock, a high school science teacher who used the app to groom him. Guess-Mazock, who was 36 at the time, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the 15-year-old in Conroe, Texas, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Lower courts dismissed the lawsuit, citing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability for user-posted content. The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeal upholds these rulings. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented, stating they would have granted the appeal.
The lawsuit detailed that Guess-Mazock used Snapchat’s disappearing messages feature to send explicit content to the teen. The abuse continued for nearly a year and a half until the victim overdosed on drugs allegedly provided by Guess-Mazock, leading to the discovery of the abuse.
In 2022, the plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against Guess-Mazock, the local school district, and Snap, seeking monetary damages from the social media company. However, Houston-based U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal dismissed the suit against Snap, citing Section 230, a decision later upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to address the scope of Section 230 in this case echoes its 2023 decisions involving YouTube and Twitter, where it also declined to reconsider the protections afforded by the law. Section 230 ensures “interactive computer services” are not treated as the publishers of user-provided information, thereby shielding them from certain legal liabilities.
Justice Thomas, in his dissent, argued that social media platforms are increasingly using Section 230 as a “get-out-of-jail free card,” highlighting the need for a reassessment of the law. Calls for reform have come from across the political spectrum, including from President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, advocating for changes to hold tech companies accountable for the content on their platforms.
