An 11-year-old Australian girl was reportedly groomed and sexually abused by a stranger on Snapchat after she added random users on the app to score points on the platform.
The girl claimed to have added strangers as a part of an unofficial rivalry with her best friend, The Guardian reported.
When the 11-year-old used Snapchat's 'Quick Add' button to add 23-year-old Jai Clapp in 2023, she was going by the name "April". According to reports, she and her companion were competing to get a "Snap score" of 100,000 points.
Clapp claimed he was only 17 and not 23 after being added by the girl. He groomed the girl on Snapchat over the next 12 days. He then met with the victim three times in a local park in the girl's town and sexually assaulted her.
Marcus Dempsey, the judge, deemed the 23-year-old guilty of "abhorrent" acts, including digital and penile penetration.
"Digital penetration" refers to the act of using a person's digits such as fingers, thumbs, or toes to sexually penetrate their vagina or anus.
Clapp entered a guilty plea and was given an eight-year and ten-month jail sentence, along with a four-year, eight-month non-parole period, for the abuse of the Australian and another girl.
"Any sexual exploitation of any young person is horrific, illegal, and against our policies," a representative for the app's parent company, Snap, said.
Snap score determines how often a user uses the app. Sending and receiving snaps, keeping track of streaks, and adding friends - they all earn you points.
Snapchat's Quick Add feature compiles a list of people it recommends you add based on their common interests identified by the Snapchat algorithm.
Furthermore, independent Snapchat guidelines advise parents to disable the Quick Add function so that only individuals they know can add their child to the app.
A National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children report from November 2024 states that Snapchat accounted for 48 per cent of the 7,000 recorded sexual interactions with minors by UK police in 2023-2024.
Beginning in December this year, the Australian government will forbid Snapchat use by anyone younger than 16. Currently, Snapchat accounts require users to be at least 13 years old.
