Snapchat is facing scrutiny after failing to respond to a formal warning issued by a coroner following the deaths of two teenagers in a 2023 car crash in Warwickshire. The coroner’s office had raised concerns about the role of Snapchat in enabling the sharing of dangerous driving footage, but the company did not provide the required response within the mandated timeframe.
The deaths of 16-year-old Matilda “Tilly” Seccombe and 17-year-old Harry Purcell were linked during inquests held in 2025 to videos of reckless driving recorded and circulated privately on Snapchat. Following the inquests, the Warwickshire coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report—a legal mechanism used when an inquiry highlights risks that, if unaddressed, could lead to further fatalities. The company was required to reply within 56 days, outlining any measures taken or planned to mitigate such risks. However, the coroner’s office confirmed that no response was received, prompting concerns that have been escalated to the chief coroner’s officer.
Linda Karen Hadfield Lee, acting area coroner for Coventry and Warwickshire, noted that no information was provided regarding Snapchat’s ability to detect or review content depicting dangerous driving. She also pointed to a lack of publicly available data showing whether Snapchat has safeguards to identify repeated patterns of unsafe behaviour among young users. Hadfield Lee cautioned that the act of filming and sharing hazardous driving could normalize and reinforce risk-taking among adolescents.
The issue has gained renewed attention following a separate fatal crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough, where seven people—including two police officers—died after a Volkswagen Passat drove the wrong way and collided with a police vehicle. Among the victims was 18-year-old Makai Saddington, who has been linked in reports to social media videos depicting dangerous driving and a previous police pursuit. Authorities have emphasized there is no evidence the fatal crash itself was recorded or posted on platforms such as TikTok.
In response to the A66 incident and similar trends, the UK government has reached out to TikTok and other social media companies to urge the removal of content that appears to celebrate or promote dangerous driving. Ministers have called for swift action to tackle the propagation of such hazardous videos online.
Snapchat operates a dedicated “trust and safety” team responsible for reviewing reports and enforcing platform policies. The company states it has taken more than 9.6 million enforcement actions, including content removal and account suspensions. A spokesperson for Snapchat declined to comment on the coroner’s warnings but expressed sympathy for those affected by recent incidents. The spokesperson reaffirmed that Snapchat prohibits content depicting illegal or dangerous behavior, including reckless driving, and that violating material is removed when identified.
Snapchat is owned by Snap Inc, a U.S.-based technology firm founded by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The ongoing calls for greater accountability highlight broader concerns over the impact of social media content on youth behaviour and public safety.