‘Snapchat Is the Gun That’s Delivering the Bullet to Our Children.’ Inside a Social Media Safety Rally Outside Snapchat HQ

Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

‘Snapchat Is the Gun That’s Delivering the Bullet to Our Children.’ Inside a Social Media Safety Rally Outside Snapchat HQ
Samson Amore

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On a muggy Friday afternoon, over a dozen parents who have lost children to drug overdose or suicide marched to Snap Inc.’s Santa Monica headquarters to make their grievances against the social media company heard.


Numerous guardians took the mic and shared horrifying stories of finding their teenaged children dead in their own home after taking their own lives because of bullying on the app, or overdosing on illicit fentanyl obtained from drug dealers on Snapchat. The grieving parents carried bright yellow signs designed to look like Snapchat friend codes, with faces of their dead children in the center. Each poster displayed the date the child passed and noted they were “forever 17,” or the age when they died. They also had a slogan: “Snapchat is an accomplice to my murder.” The ages of the dead children ranged from 14 to 19 years old.

These protests have been happening for a while; dot.LA covered a similar march in June 2021.

Jeff Johnston, Sr., spoke about losing his son Jeffrey Johnston, Jr., to drugs he obtained via Snapchat. Johnston angrily took the mic and demanded CEO Evan Spiegel come out and face him. He also publicly encouraged Spiegel’s wife, Miranda Kerr, to divorce him, saying Spiegel was a “weak and evil man.”

Representatives from nonprofits including the Organization for Social Media Safety (OSMS) and ParentsTogether were also in attendance.

According to Snap spokesman Peter Boorgard, the company is working hard to stop dealers from abusing our platform. “We do this by employing certain technologies, working closely with law enforcement, collaborating with other technology companies, and by having a zero-tolerance policy where we shut off the infringer's account,” Boorgard said.

To his point, just last week, Snap announced it was a “founding partner” of National Fentanyl Awareness Day. And in 2021, Snap told Congress that banning drug sales on Snapchat is a “top priority.” But numerous parents told me that they feel Spiegel treats the problem of illicit drug sales on his app as “a PR problem,” and doesn’t view the situation as they do: A crisis.

As the modest group marched towards Snap’s inconspicuous headquarters at Donald Douglas Loop, I spoke with Amy Neville, the event organizer. She lost her son, 14 year-old Alexander Neville, in June 2020 to an overdose. Alexander unwittingly took fentanyl he thought was a pill of OxyContin or Xanax that he had received from a dealer that he’d connected with via the Snapchat app.

Samson Amore

Legal relief

In attendance were Glenn Draper and Laura Marquez Garrett, attorneys for the Seattle-based Social Media Victims Law Center, who are representing the parents of Sammy Chapman who died at age 16 after he took Fentanyl he thought was Oxycodone. The Chapman family is working to pass Sammy’s Law, sponsored by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz of Florida, which would require social media companies to integrate third-party softwares that would allow parents to track their kids’ usage and interactions.

“If fentanyl is the bullet, Snapchat is the gun that's delivering the bullet to our children,” Samuel Chapman, Sammy Chapman’s father said.

Draper is working with both the Berkman and Chapman families along with roughly 65 others, and filed a lawsuit against Snap on January 3 in LA Superior Court. He's optimistic that once that case progresses to discovery, the public could learn a lot about how Snap’s algorithms work.

Draper also said that he thinks Section 230, which protects tech companies from the consequences of their users’ behavior, needs to change, and noted that Congress is moving to consider federal legislation to change the statute to hold tech companies accountable.

Parental controls

Last August Snap created a feature called Family Center, which allowed parents to see their teen’s friend list, and who they’re speaking with (if the child consents). But Neville and Marc Berkman, CEO of the OSMS, said that wasn’t enough.

Neville said that the Family Center “means that you have to create an account, [so] now they’ve got increased usership. You can see who your kid’s talking to, but not what they’re talking about,” she added. “They [Snap] equate that to, ‘you don’t listen to their private conversations.’ Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But that option’s there, as a parent,” she said.

Disappearing content

One of Snapchat’s core features is the disappearing message. It’s been baked into the app since it launched in 2011, and it’s a key reason why people use the app. But the vanishing messages disturb parents who literally can’t see if their children are talking about drug sales, or being bullied. They’re asking for this data to be kept and accessible to users, a direct opposition to the app’s core function. The parents also allege the disappearing messages are why drug dealers prefer Snapchat to other platforms, since they can erase traces of their sales.

“This really isn’t a social media problem, this is a Snapchat-specific problem,” Draper said of the app’s unique functions. “You can use AI and all the most advanced moderation techniques to try and get drug dealers off of your site after the fact, but until you change the features that are attracting the drug dealers to your site in the first place, they're going to keep coming.”

Geolocation

Snap introduced a geolocation feature in 2017 called Snap Maps, which much like Apple’s FindMy app, lets Snapchat users see where their friends are. The feature was criticized almost immediately after launch, as parents raised concerns about it being perfect fodder for stalkers.

Users can turn this off, or choose to have only specific friends view their location. There’s also an option to go into “ghost mode,” which makes their location invisible. But parents argued that teens who might not know about these features’ settings and are liable to accept friend requests from strangers might misuse the feature. “They [dealers] use geolocation to find children in areas where they might be able to pay for the drugs, they solicit those children and then they use Snapchat to connect the dealer with the child and to make the arrangements for the drug deal,” Berkman argued.

Third-party monitoring

Neville and other parents also said they want neutral parties to be tasked with monitoring the company’s progress. “As far as our government and legislation are concerned, I really want that duty of care followed by third party auditing, because at this point, so much crime has happened on their platform,” Neville said. “We’re just supposed to take their word for it nowadays, we need third party auditing.”

These third parties, Neville suggested, could be law enforcement, the Organization for Social Media Safety, or anyone “who really can take a hard look at it and don't have any financial ties.”

Back in 2021, Snapchat said it was “generally open” to using third-party software, but Spiegel’s also said that it might not work, citing user privacy and scalability issues.

“We would take that on so long as we were completely independent of Snap,” Berkman said of being a Snapchat auditor. “The arrangement would have to enable complete independence and the funding for that process would have to be independent of a specific platform or the [tech] industry general.”

Editor's Note: Snap Inc. is an investor in dot.LA.

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⏳Top Productivity Techniques for Entrepreneurs

In the busy world of entrepreneurship, staying productive is crucial for achieving success. With numerous tasks (and social media) competing for your attention, it can be tough to stay organized and focused. Fortunately, several proven productivity hacks can help you manage your time effectively and prioritize your workload. These strategies are backed by research and have been used by successful individuals in various fields. In this listicle, we’ll explore five effective productivity hacks, including the Pomodoro Technique and the Eisenhower Matrix, that can improve your work habits and enhance your entrepreneurial efforts.


The Pomodoro Technique

Developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro Technique uses a kitchen timer to break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes long, followed by short breaks. Cirillo named the method after the tomato-shaped timer he used as a university student, and it has since been adopted by many professionals and students to enhance focus and productivity. To implement it:

  • Choose a task to work on
  • Set a timer for 25 minutes
  • Work on the task until the timer rings
  • Take a short 5-minute break
  • After 4 pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break

The Eisenhower Matrix

Named after former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this prioritization method helps individuals categorize tasks based on urgency and importance. Eisenhower famously stated, "What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important," which underscores the value of distinguishing between these two aspects to effectively manage time and tasks. This prioritization method helps you focus on what's truly important by categorizing tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance:

  1. Urgent and important: Do immediately
  2. Important but not urgent: Schedule for later
  3. Urgent but not important: Delegate if possible
  4. Neither urgent nor important: Eliminate

Time Blocking

Time blocking is a technique used by many successful entrepreneurs, including Jack Dorsey and Cal Newport, to allocate specific periods for different types of work. By scheduling tasks in advance, individuals can minimize distractions and ensure they dedicate focused time to their most important responsibilities. This creates structure and helps minimize context switching. For example:

  1. 9-11 AM: Deep work on top priority project
  2. 11 AM-12 PM: Respond to emails/messages
  3. 1-3 PM: Meetings
  4. 3-5 PM: Administrative tasks

The Two-Minute Rule

Popularized by productivity expert David Allen in his book "Getting Things Done," the Two-Minute Rule states that if a task can be completed in two minutes or less, you should do it immediately. This approach helps prevent small tasks from piling up and cluttering your to-do list, allowing for a more organized workflow.


Batching Similar Tasks

Batching tasks is a technique used by many high-performing individuals, including writer Tim Ferriss, who advocates for grouping similar activities to minimize context switching. By focusing on one type of task at a time, such as responding to emails or making phone calls, you can increase efficiency and reduce mental fatigue.


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LA Startups Supercharging Cars and Dating 🚗⚡💑

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday Los Angeles!

EVgo Inc., a leading Electric Vehicle (EV) charging company based in West Los Angeles, has seen substantial growth under CEO Badar Khan. The company now operates over 3,400 fast chargers across 1,000 sites nationwide, strategically placed in high-traffic urban and suburban areas to enhance convenience for EV users. EVgo’s model focuses on owning and managing its charging stations to ensure a seamless experience, reflecting its commitment to supporting the mass adoption of electric vehicles and facilitating the transition to cleaner transportation.

In a different electrifying market, Joe Feminella, inspired by his own successful dating journey, launched the dating app, First Round’s On Me in El Segundo with $5 million in funding. This app differentiates itself by requiring users to schedule a date within 24 hours of matching, and after a soft launch in select markets, it expanded nationwide in 2024. As the dating app market faces criticism over algorithmic practices and premium features, First Round’s On Me aims to offer a more genuine and immediate dating experience. Both EVgo and First Round’s On Me exemplify how companies in different industries are addressing their respective market challenges with innovative approaches to improve user experience and engagement.


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • 3DEO, a startup that specializes in 3D printing small, high-volume metal parts, raised a $3.5M Strategic Investment Round from Mizuhio Bank. - learn more
  • Spotter, a startup that underwrites creators and offers AI tools, raised a $7.4M Funding Round. - learn more
  • Cashmere, a lead generation startup for wealth managers, raised a $3.6M Seed Round. Canapi Ventures led, and was joined by Benchstrength, Plug and Play, The House Fund, and Courtyard Ventures. - learn more

LA Venture Funds

  • Crosscut Ventures participated in an $8.9M Series A Extension for Nostra AI, a startup that helps e-commerce businesses improve their website performance by speeding up load times. - learn more
  • Fika Ventures, an eight-year-old Los Angeles venture capital firm, has raised a fourth fund in the amount of $160 million to invest in early-stage B2B startups. - learn more

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      🍵☕️Top 6 Coffee Alternatives for Enhanced Productivity

      In the fast-paced world of startups and venture capital in Los Angeles, maintaining peak productivity is essential for founders and investors alike. As the hustle intensifies, many are seeking alternatives to traditional coffee that not only provide a sustained energy boost but also support overall health and well-being. The following list highlights some of the top-rated coffee alternatives that can enhance focus and productivity while minimizing the adverse effects of caffeine. These options incorporate adaptogens, superfoods, and gut-friendly ingredients, making them ideal choices for those looking to optimize their performance without the afternoon crash.


      Matcha

      Image Source: Jade Leaf Matcha

      Matcha is a finely ground green tea that offers a moderate amount of caffeine, along with L-theanine, which promotes relaxation without drowsiness. This combination can enhance focus and concentration, making matcha a suitable alternative for those looking to boost productivity without the jitters of coffee.

      Popular Brands: ReNude Chaga Matcha (60 mg caffeine), Golde Pure Matcha (60 mg caffeine), Organic Ceremonial Matcha - Teahouse Edition (30 mg caffeine)


      Dandelion Root Coffee

      Image Source: Amazon

      Dandelion root coffee is a caffeine-free alternative that mimics the taste of coffee. It is known for its potential to support liver health and digestion, which can contribute to overall well-being and productivity. The drink can help avoid the acidity and jitters that often accompany regular coffee, making it a gentler option for those sensitive to caffeine.

      Popular Brands: Dandy Blend (0 mg caffeine), Teeccino Dandelion Dark Roast (0 mg caffeine)


      Adaptogenic Drinks

      Image Source: MUD\WTR Masala Chai

      Adaptogenic beverages, which include ingredients like ashwagandha, reishi, and maca, are designed to help the body adapt to stress and promote mental clarity. These drinks can provide a sustained energy boost without the crash, supporting productivity throughout the day. They are often made with superfoods and spices that enhance both physical and mental performance.

      Popular Brands: MUD\WTR Masala Chai (35 mg caffeine), Four Sigmatic Think Coffee (150 mg caffeine), ReNude Chagaccino (0 mg caffeine)


      Golden Milk (Turmeric Latte)

      Image Source: Golde

      Golden milk, made from turmeric, ginger, and milk (or a milk alternative), is a caffeine-free option that can improve mood and reduce inflammation. The calming properties of this drink can help maintain focus and clarity, making it a great addition to a productive morning routine.

      Popular Brands: Golde Turmeric Latte Blend (0 mg caffeine), Blume Turmeric Blend (0 mg caffeine), Four Sigmatic Golden Latte Mix (0 mg caffeine)



      Chicory Root Coffee

      Image Source: Teeccino

      Chicory root coffee is an excellent alternative that satisfies the desire for a warm beverage without caffeine. It is rich in inulin, a prebiotic fiber that aids in digestion and promotes gut health by supporting beneficial bacteria. Chicory coffee has a nutty, earthy flavor and can help control blood sugar levels, contributing to overall energy and productivity throughout the day.

      Popular Brands: Anthony’s Instant Chicory Root (0 mg caffeine), Teeccino Chicory Coffee Alternative (0 mg caffeine)


      Yerba Mate

      Image Source: Guayaki Yerba Mate

      Yerba mate is a traditional South American herbal tea made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. It contains about 40-80 mg of caffeine per serving, which is less than a standard cup of coffee but enough to provide a gentle energy boost. Yerba mate is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and users often report feeling energized without the jitters or crashes associated with coffee. It has a unique, slightly bitter flavor and can be enjoyed in various forms, including loose-leaf tea and pre-brewed options.

      Popular Brands: Guayaki Yerba Mate (40-150 mg caffeine)


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