Oregon Mom Suing Snapchat After 16-Year-Old Son Committed Suicide Following Months Of Bullying
As of Monday (May 10), Kristin Bride, a Portland, Oregon mom is suing Snapchat after her 16-year-old son Carson Bride committed suicide following months of bullying on Snap’s YOLO app — an anonymous Q&A plug-in.
It’s reported that prior to his death, Bride had been receiving anonymous messages for months on YOLO — which many reportedly included sexual comments and taunting over specific incidents involving Bride — ie: the time he’d fainted in biology class. While the messages were coming from people he knew, there was no way to identify each person as the app keeps users anonymous; and if he were to respond, the messages would go public. On June 23, 2020, Bride’s family found him dead and his phone’s search history that same day showed him researching ways to “Reveal YOLO Usernames Online.”
RELATED: Texas HS Students Disciplined After Holding Mock ‘Slave Auction’ Of Black Classmates
Following her son’s tragic death, Kristin Bride is now leading a federal class action lawsuit in California against Snap, YOLO and LMK (another anonymous messaging app built for Snapchat). In her complaint, she alleges that the companies violated consumer protection law by failing to live up to their own terms of service and policies, and that these types of apps facilitate bullying to such a degree that they should be considered dangerous products. Bride’s filed alongside co-plaintiff, Tyler Clementi Foundation, a nonprofit formed after an 18-year-old took his own life in 2010 following cyber bulling. Together, they’re seeking damages and to have YOLO and LMK banned from Snap’s platforms.
For more on the suit, click here.
RELATED: Teen Who Was Bullied For Being Gay Speaks Out About Viral Fight On ‘Tamron Hall Show’