CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses child sexual abuse.
An 11-year-old girl in regional Victoria, who the court called “April”, became the victim of sexual abuse after adding a stranger on Snapchat in 2023. April was reportedly trying to boost her Snap score in a friendly rivalry with her best friend.
For those not across it, Snap scores are Snapchat’s way of keeping track of how much you use the app. Sending snaps, keeping up streaks, and adding new friends all help your score climb. The Guardian reports that April and her friend were racing to see who could hit 100,000 first. To get there, they started using Snapchat’s Quick Add feature, which suggests people to add based on mutual friends and the app’s own algorithm.
That’s how April ended up adding Jai Clapp in 2023, who had told her he was 17-years-old but was actually 23 at the time. The court later heard that he spent just under two weeks grooming her over Snapchat before meeting her in person and sexually abusing her on three occasions in a local park.
Judge Marcus Dempsey, who sentenced Clapp, described his actions as “abhorrent”, per The Guardian. Clapp pleaded guilty to a range of offences, including grooming and sexual penetration with a child under 12, and received a sentence of eight years and 10 months in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and eight months. Clapp’s sentencing happened in April this year at LaTrobe Valley County Court, however details about the case are only arising this week.
The court heard further distressing details. On one occasion, Clapp allegedly assaulted April and then kissed her. After the act, the victim got up and Clapp kissed her again.
According to the Herald Sun, during the hearing, Clapp’s lawyer, Sam Norton, noted his client had “genuine acceptance of responsibility, which was ‘not the norm’ in this type of proceeding”.
Herald Sun also reported that Norton told the court that Clapp had been “fulfilling a sexual fantasy with a non-threatening female and had early exposure to child abuse material”.
Judge Dempsey described Clapp as a “highly intelligent” young man who was not “emotionally intelligent”.
Snapchat’s Quick Add feature is supposed to help people find friends, but it can end up suggesting strangers. Even though Snapchat says it limits suggestions for teens to people with several mutual friends, this case shows that the system isn’t perfect.
A spokesperson for Snap, the company behind Snapchat, told PEDESTRIAN.TV, “Sexual exploitation of any young person is horrific, illegal and against our policies”.
They added, “Snapchat was designed to help people communicate with friends they know in real life, and our goal is to make it as hard as possible for young people to be contacted by strangers.
“Teens will only be suggested in Find Friends or Search in limited circumstances, such as if they have numerous mutual friends.
“Over the last year we have launched new friending safeguards, which includes limiting who teens can see in Find Friends suggestions.”
The eSafety Commissioner’s office also weighed in, saying that while features like Quick Add might have benefits, companies need to be aware of how they can be misused.
“We have been concerned for some time about features on social media, messaging and other services which provide a ready means for predators to gain access to children for the purposes of grooming and contact offending,” a spokesperson said, per The Guardian.
They also pointed out that these features can let predators “find their way into the friend groups of multiple children, aided by the platform’s own algorithms, particularly where age assurance measures are not effective”.
The Australian Government is planning to ban under-16s from using social media platforms, including Snapchat, from December.
Initially, it was up in the air if Snapchat was going to be a part of this ban as there was pushes for it to be classified as a messaging app. However, ultimately it has confirmed that X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram will be part of this ban.
“Alongside numerous academics and experts including the Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner, we have raised serious concerns about the legislation,” a Snap spokesperson told the ABC in November last year.
“While there are many unanswered questions about how this law will be implemented in practice, we will engage closely with the government and the eSafety Commissioner during the 12-month implementation period to help develop an approach that balances privacy, safety and practicality.
“As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia.”
Lead image: iStock Photos
Help is available.
If you’re in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online. If it’s an emergency, please call 000.
Under 25? You can reach the Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
The post 11 Y.O. Girl Sexually Abused In Victoria After Adding Stranger On Snapchat appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
