SnapChat

As It HappensSam Chapman is one of dozens of grieving U.S. parents suing Snapchat's parent company after their children died from drugs they purchased on the platform.Dozens of U.S. parents whose children died after taking drugs file lawsuits against Snapchat's parent companySheena Goodyear · CBC Radio · Posted: Oct 19, 2023 6:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoSammy Chapman, seen here in an undated photograph, died after he took a fentanyl-laced pill he bought from a stranger on Snapchat. Now his parents are suing the social media platform's parent company. (Submitted by Sam Chapman)As It Happens6:19His son died after taking drugs he bought on Snapchat. Now he's suingSam Chapman says he learned the hard way how easy it is for kids to access deadly drugs on Snapchat. "We had no idea that, you know, a drug dealer could reach out to our son and offer him this colourful drug menu," told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "And he delivered a lethal dose of fentanyl to our home, like a pizza."The last time Chapman saw his 16-year-old son Sammy alive was Super Bowl Sunday in February 2021, when pandemic restrictions were in effect. "The one benefit, we thought, of this horrible lockdown

A Florida sheriff’s deputy was reportedly arrested last week after investigators discovered that he’d posted several videos to his Snapchat that showed young kids performing sex acts. Blake Gruny, an eight-year vet of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, allegedly uploaded several videos — which included a young girl masturbating, undressing and performing oral sex on a grown man — to a Snapchat account that had his personal info, according to Fox 35 Orlando. One of the heinous recordings even included a young girl saying, “I’m 12 years old, and I want you to (expletive) me,” the station said. Gruny allegedly sent the videos to another user, with the message, “You going to keep showing me how hard you are.” Earlier this month, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off Gruny’s department that someone had uploaded the abusive material to an electronic service provider. The office investigated. About two weeks later, the pervy cop was in bracelets. Blake Gruny, an eight-year vet of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, allegedly uploaded several videos — which included a young girl masturbating, undressing and performing oral sex on a grown man — to Snapchat.St. Johns County Sheriff's Office One of

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A 20-year-old student of the University of Ilorin, Sanni Hameedat, reportedly committed sui!ide after lending a boy she met on the social media platform, Snapchat, the sum of N500,000. Rubiks, the private hostel management she resided in before her death confirmed the incident to Punch in a statement on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.  According to the management, Hameedat was undergoing her SIWES programme before the incident happened. The management asserted that the cause of her death was not unrelated to the pressure from the app agents, who were demanding fast repayment, coupled with her brother’s inability to assist her financially, which led to depression.  “The cause of su!cide was traced to financial misappropriation. She was entrusted with a significant sum of money by her mother. She crossed paths with a guy on Snapchat and developed a friendship,” the statement said.  “When the boy claimed that his mother was battling breast cancer and urgently needed N500,000, the compassionate and emotional lady decided to help him by lending him half of the N1 million she held for her mother. And the boy promised to repay the borrowed money “However, when her mother needed the money back, the boy abruptly cut off all

Scottsville police responded this morning to a possible threat on social media platform SnapChat. According to a news release from the Scottsville Police Department, around 7:35am, Allen County School officials were made aware of a SnapChat referencing “people in Allen.” While the message was not specific to Allen County Schools or Allen County, school officials and law enforcement worked to immediately investigate the situation. Officials learned that two people were taken into custody in Columbia, Tennessee, in connection with the SnapChat. As a result, they determined there was no viable threat against students in Allen County Schools. The news release stated “The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority. We take every alleged threat seriously, whether verbal, text, or social media.” Students are reminded that if they hear or see anything related to school safety, they are asked to report it to school officials immediately so the threat can be investigated. Students can also make reports via the Kentucky Safe Schools Tipline at safeschools.ky.gov, or on the school district’s web site under the Quick Links tab.

Twitch has launched Stories. Stories on Twitch makes it possible for users to quickly create and share content every day to their Twitch community, where they are, on Twitch, using their mobile device. Starting today, all Twitch users with the latest version of the app installed will see the new stories shelf at the top of the Following page. Creating stories is currently limited to Partners & Affiliates who have had at least one stream in the last 30 days. Access to eligible streamers will roll out gradually by the end of the week and on an ongoing basis as streamers meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Twitch said it may extend the creation access to more streamers as it tests the safety measures it has in place. With Stories, Twitch users can share photos, clips, or freeform content using text, custom channel emotes, and backgrounds. Streamers with at least 30 subscribers (including gift subs) will have the option to create sub-only stories.   In a blog post, Eduardo Fenilli, Senior Product Manager at Twitch, said one of the reasons the company wanted to bring stories to Twitch is that it makes it possible for users to easily reach out to

Snap’s share price rose nearly 12% on Monday, closing at $9.72, after CEO Evan Spiegel told the social media network’s staff that it hoped to increase revenue by 20% by the end of 2024. The owner of Snapchat also aims to log more than 475 million daily active users in the fourth quarter of 2024. That would mark a rise from 397 million reported in July and top analyst forecasts of 448 million... Read this briefing for free. Get access to exclusive coverage Read deeply reported stories from the largest newsroom in tech. Stay in the know Receive a summary of the day's top tech news—distilled into one email. Access on the go View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast. Join live video Q&A’s Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives. Enjoy a clutter-free experience Read without any banner ads.

A man remains behind bars at the Logan County Detention Center for allegedly having nearly 1,000 sexual images of children. The investigation began with the Stillwater Police Department (SPD) who later requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI) due to the suspect living outside the Stillwater city limits. A Stillwater detective with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) received information about an email account uploading child sexual abuse material to Google Chat. The suspect behind the account has been identified as 27-year-old Wyatt James Bartels. Detectives received additional cyber tips from Snapchat and Discord. One image described in court papers was depicted as a “prepubescent female.” The report showed at least one child located in Russia. Additional cyber tips came in with at least 468 files of child sexual abuse material, according to the OSBI. In the affidavit, a chat between the suspect, Bartels, and another account was shared, but those are too graphic in nature to share. Part of the message allegedly by Bartels said, “Can u snd (sic) a video with that kids face.” Other messages said, “What is your name and how old are you?” Another message said, “Ya I have 2 daughters. And I’m a professional

Staff October 15, 2023 Pennwood Middle School. Credit: Google Maps Pennsbury School District officials have taken action after receiving reports suggesting a possible threat to school safety, according to a letter to sent to parents on Sunday. Officials said Pennwood Middle School administration was alerted by multiple Safe2Say reports this weekend, include one that detailed a student allegedly overhearing a mention of a school shooting threat. Another report claimed that an eighth-grade student posted on Snapchat that they “heard a student would bring a gun to school.” “We, along with local authorities, do not believe this is a credible threat,” the letter to parents read. Officials said Lower Makefield Township police will have officers at the school. Pennwood Middle School administrators praised the students who reported the potential threats. Below is the full letter to parents: Dear Pennwood Middle School Families,Over the past 24 hours we received a few Safe2Say reports that a student “possibly overheard someone tell another student that someone threatened a school shooting.” Another reported that an 8th grader posted on a Snapchat story that they “heard a student would bring a gun to school”; however, no screenshots or specifics have been provided. We immediately notified the

Recently, a friend of mine was faced with a tough decision in which no matter what he chose to do, someone would be upset with him. When I gave him advice, he told me that it would be easier for me to do the right thing because I have a more confrontational personality and enjoy picking fights.  I’ve been writing for school newspapers, first in high school and now in college, for a combined five years. In those five years, critics have not only come after my arguments but after me personally. I have lost friends and opportunities due to being outspoken about my opinions.  Socially, when I see friends being treated unfairly, I make it known that it is unfair, even when it comes at a personal cost. This means skipping out on events where one person is noticeably uninvited, leaving group chats or in some cases, having a literal face-to-face confrontation with the perpetrator.  I wholeheartedly agree that my editorials are often controversial and deserve scrutiny; that is part of the job I signed up for. I also understand that sticking up for friends almost always comes with negative consequences. But contrary to my friend’s opinion about me