Dutch consumer foundation files mass claim against Snapchat over 'addictive' design

# What happened A Dutch consumer mass-claims foundation, Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC), has filed a case in Amsterdam against Snap, the US parent of Snapchat. SMC says Snapchat's design deliberately keeps users returning and pressures young people to use the app frequently. The foundation asks the court to order Snap to deactivate certain features by default and seeks monetary compensation for affected Dutch users.

# Claims SMC makes SMC focuses on features it says are engineered to keep users hooked. Two examples singled out are:

• "Streaks": a mechanic that tracks consecutive days friends message each other and is broken if they miss a day.
• "Snapscore": a running score that increases with activity on the app.

The foundation says those elements create social pressure, especially for young people, and cites internal Snap emails revealed during a US court case that described the streak feature as "unintentionally addictive" and "fairly unhealthy." SMC also wants safety changes for minors, including limits on location features and action against accounts linked to grooming and drug dealing.

# What SMC wants the court to order

• Award compensation to registered Dutch users, with payments between €425 and €1,850 depending on how heavily and at what age they used Snapchat.

Users and parents can register for the claim free of charge on the foundation's website. The first hearing is expected in about three months.

# Context: other legal and regulatory pressure This is the second mass claim against Snapchat in the Netherlands within a short period. In June, another foundation filed a similar suit focused on design and the use of personal data for advertising. A judge will decide which foundation can represent Dutch users.

At the EU level, the European Commission has been investigating how Snapchat safeguards minors since 2025. The Dutch consumer regulator (ACM) is also examining the platform's protections for children.

The claim follows major US litigation outcomes: last month Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and to change Facebook and Instagram's treatment of minors. That settlement specifically named Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube as platforms expected to follow similar scrutiny.

# Snap's response and product details cited

Snap also said that location sharing on its map is turned off by default and requires a user to opt in.

# Why the case matters to Dutch users SMC cites usage figures it says apply to the Netherlands: more than 6 million monthly users who open the app around 40 times per day. Those numbers frame the foundation's argument about scale and the potential breadth of harm.

If the court orders changes, Snap could be required to change default settings in the Netherlands, and the ruling could influence other cases and regulator reviews across the EU.

# What to watch next

• Which of the two Dutch foundations the judge allows to represent users.
• The outcome of the first hearing (in roughly three months).
• Any regulator actions by the European Commission or the ACM that might run in parallel to the court case.