IT’S ABOUT TIME –
Feb. 24, 2022 – Snapchat says it’s making changes to make it harder for kids to buy drugs on its platform, and it has to do with how “friends” are recommended on the app.
An NBC News investigation published in October found that Snapchat was linked to the sale of fentanyl-laced pills that killed teenagers and young adults in over a dozen states.
Virginia did not have any confirmed deaths in that report. However, there were warnings from the Drug Enforcement Administrationthat drug dealers are marketing to teenagers through popular social media apps, selling drugs that look like prescription medication and delivering counterfeit pills to kids and young adults.
A special agent in charge of the warning says these sales often involve young people who use apps like Snapchat and Instagram to connect with dealers and order pills they think are safe but often prove deadly. Snapchat also says it will stop showing accounts for 13 to 17-year-olds as suggestions to others unless they have enough friends in common.
