This summer, Snapchat faced a protest for having drug dealers sell illicit drugs like fentanyl on the platform. Many young users in the USA have consumed this lethal substance and has caused a 30% increase in deaths. Thus, Snapchat has decided to launch a new in-app tool for awareness against drug use.
On 7th October 2021, Snapchat came up with an in-app tool launch announcement to spread awareness of drug use. A week before, the US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) published a report of an increase in deaths due to substance abuse and warned social media houses.
The drug consumed is lethal combinations of COVID-19 stressors like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Furthermore, the parents who lost their children due to this unfortunate incident have filed a lawsuit against Facebook, the mother company. It is facing scrutiny for not paying enough attention to users’ safety.
About the Snap update
The main motive behind this update is awareness. It will be about educating the snap users about the dangers of fentanyl. The name of the tool is ‘Heads up. It will educate users if they search any drug-related keyword.
For this feature update, they have taken help from organizations like Song for Charlie, Shatterproof, and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health services administration) and CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention). These organizations have provided information and statistics for the cause. It has also improved proactive detection capabilities to remove drug dealers’ profiles from the platform.
A small but essential step by Snapchat is to make the platform safer.
Other efforts
Snapchat has also launched campaigns with the Song for Charlie organization. They have added new filters related to substance abuse and developed a video advertisement for the same purpose.
“We block drug-related terms, including slang, from usernames or being searchable on Snapchat, and regularly audit these block lists with the latest language, working closely with third-party experts,” said the Snapchat team.
These updates will be available in the USA only, but Snap is soon approaching to make it international. Snapchat is supposed to hold a conference at the end of this month with all final updates.
Anecdotes from parents
‘Song for Charlie’ is an organization started by Charlie Ternan’s parents after Charlie died last year consuming an online-shopped pill while playing video games. They came up with an awareness slogan, “ONE PILL CAN KILL”.
Samuel Chapman, a father, lost his son, Sammy, in an accidental fentanyl drug overdose. “Our son Sammy is forever 16 because he found a dealer on Snapchat,” said Chapman in an interview. “Snapchat is the dark web for children because they make the screen disappear.
They also have a locator so you can find where the kids are … it’s the most dangerous combination you can think of.”
Social Responsibility
Statistics say, around 59% of youth from age 13 to 24 years use Snapchat. More than half of youth who are experimenting with prescription pills like Xanax and Percocet are vulnerable to getting affected by this epidemic.
Social media companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram have become essential parts of human lives. They are not the products that we humans use; slowly, we have become the products. The situation has raised a question of the right to privacy and now the right to security. Someone should be taking responsibility for such young lives to go in absolute vain.
DEA Head Anne Milligram said that social media companies are not doing enough to curb these increasing deaths. Also, this should be considered a national crisis.
Survival is more important than the snap streaks!
Let us know what you think about this crisis. Should Snapchat be an age-restricted app? Should parents have access to their children’s online safety?
Be safe and aware while using social media.
