SnapChat

An assistant headteacher at a primary school who was caught sending explicit pictures of himself to a teenage boy on Snapchat said he “craved attention” as a “sexual thrill”, a tribunal heard. Ross Bullen admitted to regularly swapping explicit pictures with thousands of people on the disappearing messaging app while a primary school teacher at Priory Rise School, Milton Keynes. The 38-year-old, who said the sex chats made him feel “wanted” and “confident”, was barred from teaching for at least two years after a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found he brought the profession into disrepute. Giving evidence, Mr Bullen, who denied ever sharing the images with the teenager (dubbed person A), described himself as “stupid”, “reckless” and “foolish” for engaging in risky online behaviour. “I can see it was really questionable, it is regrettable. I should have behaved differently,” he said. The tribunal heard Mr Bullen sent six unsolicited images “in various states of undress” from a bedroom or bathroom to person A around March and May 2023. Ross Bullen admitted to regularly swapping explicit pictures with thousands of people on the disappearing messaging app while a primary school teacher at Priory Rise School, Milton Keynes (Google Maps) Mr

Pennsylvania AG’s undercover Snapchat probe, filed August 25 in Philadelphia, targets the app’s 13+ rating as legally false A new iPhone. A fake birthday. A Snapchat account set up to mimic a 13-year-old. Within the normal flow of the app — no hacking, no workarounds — an investigator from Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General documented cannabis rolling videos, someone mixing and drinking spirits on camera, captions using opioid-related slang, and paid ads for a streaming service carrying explicit sexual clips. These findings raise serious child safety concerns that echo industry-wide debates over age verification and platform accountability. That account became the backbone of a lawsuit filed August 25, 2026 , in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. What the “13-Year-Old” Account Actually Saw The gap between Snap’s self-reported content labels and what the test account actually encountered is the factual heart of the case. When Snap lists Snapchat on Apple’s App Store, it answers a content-rating questionnaire in its own words. The result: a 13+ rating describing “infrequent/mild” sexual content, drug and alcohol references, and mature themes. Google Play and Microsoft’s store carry a matching “T for Teen.” All three ratings reflect Snap’s self-reported disclosures. The complaint argues “frequent” exposure directly

by Abram Eshelman Tue, August 25, 2026 at 10:56 PM Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a lawsuit against Snapchat on Tuesday, alleging the social media platform has failed to protect children from inappropriate content and compulsive use. The lawsuit, filed against Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., comes two weeks after Sunday announced a similar lawsuit against TikTok with similar allegations. In the complaint, Sunday alleges Snapchat misrepresents how often users encounter adult content — including sexual material and drug use — in an effort to maintain its 13-plus age rating in App Stores. Sunday also alleges the app’s disappearing messages feature encourages compulsive use and the sending of photos and videos that users would regret if they did not “disappear,” including revealing or even sexual photos. This ephemeral component is extremely alluring and can lead to compulsive use, yet its Snapchat's biggest draw for youth. Another major concern cited in the lawsuit is Snapchat’s “streak” system, which rewards users with an increasing “score” for each day they send a photo to another user in a row. Sunday argued the streak system encourages young and impressionable users to chase “high scores” by using the app every day. You can read

Pennsylvania attorney general Dave Sunday sued Snap on Tuesday, accusing the company of designing Snapchat to keep young users compulsively engaged whilst misleading parents about safety and age-appropriate content. The lawsuit targets features including Snapstreaks, infinite scrolling, push notifications, autoplay, and disappearing messages. Pennsylvania alleges these features encourage extended use to generate advertising revenue whilst exposing minors to potential harms. The state claims Snapchat has millions of users in Pennsylvania, including tens of thousands under 16. Snap's North American operations generated more than $5.3 billion in revenue in 2024. Pennsylvania accuses Snap of misleading consumers about content available to minors. A state investigator created an account using a 13-year-old's birthday and found it could access content containing profanity, drug and alcohol references, and sexual material. Snap disputed the allegations, stating Snapchat "was designed differently from the beginning" and emphasising its commitment to teen safety. Source: foxbusiness.com

Investigators said the man may have been in contact with as many as 175 potential victims through Snapchat.

New Zealand is set to introduce a bill seeking to ban under-16s from using social media. Social media platforms, which include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, will need to ensure users are over 16. Platforms that fail to meet the country’s rules could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue (BBC). New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said social media was exposing children to “harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with” (BBC). It remains uncertain when the legislation will be introduced, as coalition partners NZ First and ACT have both voiced opposition to the proposal, questioning the law’s effectiveness (DW). The government’s data shows one in three children aged 13 to 17 now spend at least five hours a day on social media (DW).

Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images The Cat in the Hat, a character from the eponymous Dr Seuss book, has been depicted on screen multiple times, including photographed here on a US talk show "He's so scary!" says 16-year-old Skye, recoiling at the mention of the Cat in the Hat. Viral images purporting to show a life-sized version of the Dr Seuss character on the streets after dark have sparked fear and confusion among teenagers. The posts, seen by millions, have convinced some young people that the character is real and that they might encounter it, prompting police forces in Ireland and the UK to issue statements confirming that the images and videos are fake. "I was having a sleepover," Skye elaborates, "but everyone started watching Cat in the Hat videos. It was 3am. I wanted to go home. When I started walking down my friends' driveway, I got totally freaked out that the Cat in the Hat was going to jump out. I had to call my mum to pick me up." A quick scroll through TikTok reveals numerous accounts, many of them created in the past few weeks, sharing photos and videos of an elusive black-and-white feline wearing the

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August 22, 2026 / 3:33 PM MDT / CBS Colorado Add CBS News on Google A former Durango middle school teacher who obtained sexual images from more than three dozen teenage boys by pretending to be a 16-year-old girl on social media was sentenced last week to four decades in prison.  Benjamin Smith was sentenced in a Denver federal courtroom Tuesday. The judge ordered lifetime supervision, too, once Smith is released from prison.  Smith, 30, posed as "Kristin" on Snapchat under the username "MTNCHICK69," according to evidence presented by federal prosecutors. Behind that identity, Smith reached out to boys in the Durango area as young as 12. He started conversations, sent out photos of a naked girl, then asked the boys to send back photos of themselves in return, prosecutors stated. Smith used his disguise and tactics to "convince the targeted adolescents that they were engaging in sexual acts with 'Kristin,'" as stated in a federal press release announcing the sentence.  Benjamin Smith at the time of his arrest in July 2024. Durango Police Department/Facebook The first victim came forward in 2024. Smith was indicted that same year. He recently pleaded guilty to committing, separately or in combination, offenses involving