Snapchat sued over addictive design in mass claim

A Dutch consumer foundation has filed a mass claim against the maker of Snapchat over the app’s “addictive” design, the second such case brought against the platform in the Netherlands in three months.

Consumer mass claims foundation SMC wants the court in Amsterdam to force Snap, Snapchat’s US parent company, to switch off features it says are built to keep users hooked unless a user deliberately turns them on.

It is also seeking compensation of between €425 and €1,850 per user, depending on how heavily and at what age they used the app.

In June, another foundation filed a similar case over Snapchat’s design and its use of personal data for advertising. A judge will decide which of the two can represent Dutch users.

Streaks and scores
Snapchat lets users send photos and messages that disappear after they’ve been viewed, and has more than 6 million monthly users in the Netherlands, who open the app around 40 times a day, according to figures cited by the foundation.

Features such as the “streak”, broken if two friends go a day without messaging, and the “snapscore”, which rises with use, pressure young people to keep coming back, SMC says. Internal Snap emails released in a US court case last year described the streak as “unintentionally addictive” and “fairly unhealthy”, the foundation said.

A Snap spokesperson told Algemeen Dagblad (AD) that the company remained committed to making Snapchat “a safe, positive and authentic place”, and that users valued streaks as a way to stay in touch. Snap said it had made it easy to pause and restore a streak, although restoring one costs €1 euro each time after a free first use.

SMC also wants Snapchat made safer for younger users, including curbs on location features it says allow strangers to find children, and action against accounts linked to drug dealing and grooming. Snap said location sharing on its map is off by default and that users have to choose to switch it on.

Under EU rules
The foundation argues the design breaches EU rules that require large platforms to protect users from addictive features. The European Commission has been investigating Snapchat over how it safeguards minors since 2025, and the Dutch consumer regulator (ACM) is examining the same question.

The case follows a US settlement last month in which Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and overhaul Instagram and Facebook for minors, a deal that named Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube as platforms expected to follow.

The first hearing is expected in about three months. Snapchat users, and parents acting for their children, can register for the claim free of charge on the foundation’s website.