(RepublicanPress.org) – Snapchat is a social media app that allows users to share pictures, videos, or messages that only appear for a set period of time. The platform offers fun filters people can use to play around and keep interactions light. Unfortunately, the app isn’t all fun and games. There is a concern that it could present a dangerous problem, as the FBI may have recently discovered.
On January 25, Bloomberg reported that federal agents and Justice Department attorneys were working together on cases of fentanyl poisoning that may link back to Snapchat. Sources say the federal government suspects drug dealers connected with kids on the app and sold them the deadly substance. Some of those children are now dead.
SCOOP: Federal agencies are examining Snapchat’s role in the spread and sale of fentanyl-laced pills in the UShttps://t.co/TBKzy1v4v2 @livcarville @JasonLeopold $SNAP pic.twitter.com/RuolMS6rg6
— David S. Joachim (@davidjoachim) January 25, 2023
According to the news outlet, records from the platform show that teens were attempting to buy painkillers, but what they got was fentanyl instead. However, neither the FBI nor the DOJ confirmed an investigation was even taking place.
The CDC reports that synthetic opioid kills more than 150 people in the United States every day. The drug is 100 times more potent than morphine and is tasteless, colorless, and odorless, meaning the substance can be easily added to another drug without anyone’s knowledge. The health agency listed signs parents and others can watch for that can alert them to a fentanyl overdose, including a limp body, loss of consciousness, discolored skin, and “pinpoint pupils.” Anyone seeing these signs should call 911 immediately for guidance.
The Boston Globe reported that Snapchat has worked with law enforcement in the past to try and eliminate illegal activity happening on its platform. But with the nature of how the app works, zeroing in on culprits can be a challenge. That said, the source claims Snap, Inc. has made moderation changes to address the issue and has taken down many accounts for making drug-related snaps.
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