Parents Protest Outside Snapchat Over Fentanyl Overdoses

SANTA MONICA, CA — A group of parents Friday protested outside Snapchat, calling on the company to stop drug sales on the app that have led to children overdosing.

The Friday rally started at Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd. then moves to Snap, Inc., 2772 Donald Douglas Loop N, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Parents believe the company has not taken action to stop illegal drug deals, pushing for change following a local teen's overdose death.

Santa Monica mother and sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman alleges that her 16-year-old son Samuel accessed fentanyl-laced drugs that led to his death via the social media app Snapchat. Samuel was found dead in his room from an accidental fentanyl overdose Feb. 7 and his mother says he purchased the drugs from a drug dealer on Snapchat.

Berman is now sharing her story, connecting with other parents on Facebook in a group called Parents for Safer Children.

"The goal is to bring awareness to the fentanyl epidemic and how easy it is for drug dealers to prey on our children via Snapchat and other social media platforms," organizers said.

Snapchat told Patch they continue to work with Santa Monica Police Department on the investigation.

"Our department maintains that our relationship with Snap, Inc. is collaborative," Santa Monica Police Department officials said in a statement. "As you know, there is a process we must follow to obtain the necessary warrants to receive information from a technology company like Snap, and even under the best of circumstances that process takes time. Snap, Inc has cooperated with our Department's ongoing investigation into this incident, providing all the information we have asked for. The Santa Monica Police Department has no reservations about requesting a subpoena for Snap if we had another case where we needed their help."

Snap responded to the ongoing investigation.

"Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Samuel Berman Chapman and we are heartbroken by his passing," a Snap spokesperson told Patch.

Patch reached out to Snapchat about the teen's death and the ongoing investigation.

"We are committed to working together with law enforcement in this case and in all instances where Snapchat is used for illegal purposes," the spokesperson said. "We have zero tolerance for using Snapchat to buy or sell illegal drugs. Using Snapchat for illegal purposes is firmly against our community guidelines and we enforce against these violations. We are constantly improving our technological capabilities to detect drug-related activity so that we can intervene proactively. If you witness illegal behavior on Snapchat, please use our in-app tools to report it quickly and confidentially, so we can take action."

The social media app's Community Guidelines explain that Snapchat cannot be used for illegal activity, including buying drugs, contraband, counterfeit goods or illegal weapons.

The app also blocks drug-related names and nicknames in its search, a spokesperson from the platform told Patch.

"We have no higher priority than keeping Snapchat a safe environment and we will continue to invest in protecting our community," the spokesperson said.

Editor's Note: This story is updated throughout and includes information from Snapchat.

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