CBS News

Design features allegedly make Snapchat a favored platform of sexual criminals targeting kids, according to a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Thursday against Snap, the company that operates the popular social media app.

An undercover investigation by the state found Snapchat has crafted “an environment where predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez stated in a news release. 

Sextortion is a rapidly growing crime that involves a person pretending to be a peer coercing minors to send explicit images or videos of themselves, and then threatening to distribute the material unless they are paid. The scam has resulted in numerous teen suicides, the AG noted.

READ THE FULL STORY