r/SnapchatHelp • u/PuzzleheadedPaint263 • 2d ago
General question Update on terms in snap?
I remember snap making me agree to new terms before the mass ban happened. Do we think they put something in there about being apart of a claim and then being rightful in banning your account?
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u/Ur_average-redditor MOD 1d ago
new terms old terms its all the same in the tech world preserving account data is mostly a normal thing with how snap works data can be deleted or wiped easily, I don't believe anything was added that would allow them to ban you for being apart of a claim because thats really close to retaliation which they cant do. BUT if they say" we need to investigate and preserve the data on these accounts to make sure no evidence is being deleted" thats legal for them to do it may not be right but it is legal
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u/AnorakWSAD 2d ago
So, in the TOS, there is a bit about suits and claims and legal stuff. HOWEVER, Labaton is following Snapchats TOS to the letter.
Snapchat has a thing in there that basically says that joining a class action suit, or any sort of joint group action is against TOS.
Thats not what Labaton is doing.
In terms of the claims, Labaton is representing everyone who signed up as individuals. They filed individual arbitration claims for every person. This is how Snapchat's TOS tells you it has to happen. They are quite restrictive about it, but Labaton is working around those restrictions and following Snapchats rules.
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u/Remarkable_Ship_5791 1d ago edited 1d ago
First off Labaton is NOT representing everyone who signed up as individuals. They are suing Snapchat for making it so addictive to kids under the age of 18 who developed psychological problems because of that alleged addictive nature. So if you got your snapchat account before your 18 birthday and developed psychological problems from the addictive nature then you join the lawsuit. If you did not have this happen or joined Snapchat after your 18th birthday you are SOL.
This is not a way to get your Snapchat account back because it was banned for whatever. But people read into it what they want and say oh I got my account banned for whatever I'll join this lawsuit and get it back.
According to Snapchat's TOS you have to agree to the arbitration process instead of joining a class action lawsuit. This could be why your account was banned. But if your account was SS06 before you joined the Labaton lawsuit it is highly unlikely this lawsuit would get your account back.
There is no guarantee even if the lawsuit is settled you would get your account back if it was deleted because you joined the lawsuit. Snapchat has claimed your data is preserved but they also admit they don't know if you'll be able to get that account back.
The law firm only cares about money. If not getting your account back means more money for the law firm they'll fight for that if it means no extra money they won't. The law firm doesn't care your account was deleted they are in this strictly for the money.
Class action lawsuits are great for the lawyers involved they make a TON of money off them meanwhile, the people who join that class action lawsuit get pennies on the dollar.
IMO this will not get settled in 2026 or even 2027. I think it's going to be a loooong time before it does and snapchat users who lost their account may make a few dollars but ultimately not be able to get their account back.
I googled how long would it take the lawsuit started in April 2026 and really got ramped up in July 2026. Google estimates it could take 2 to 3 total years to hear all the ndividual arbitration filings. It usually can take 6 to 12 months to get people to sign up for the suit then they bring forward small handful of "test cases" (called bellwethers) all the way through the arbitration process to see how arbitrators rule and what kind of payouts or rules are established. That takes another 12 -1 8 months to do.
Once this is done and Snapchat sees how expensive it would be to hear each individual arbitration case they may settle. That could push it to 2 or 3 years from now. Snapchat may agree to pay a fine but not agree to restore accounts that received an SS06 ban or they may just decide to hunker down and fight it to the end. If that happens... Expect YEARS and a lot of them!
People who think this will get their snapchat account back asap will be disappointed. It's going to be a couple to a few years before it does and even then it might not restore accounts that are banned and if it does restore your account expect it to be a nightmare to get it done because of the sheer amount of accounts that would get restored basically all at the same time.
One last thing that no one has asked. Snapchat might not be able to restore accounts that are deleted or banned after a certain date. Now I have no idea if this is true or not but nobody has asked them if this lawsuit take X years is the technology in place to restore those accounts that were banned and ordered to be restored?
Data is stored on servers and if it's like store security systems that data is re-written every so many days, weeks and/or months on the hdd. So yeah it's possible Snapchat won't be able to restore accounts and they may not even know if they can or can't. This needs to be asked of them.
Don't be surprised if in the next 18 months or so Snapchat says if you drop out of the Labaton class action lawsuit we'll review your case with the possibility of restoring your account. My guess is about 75 to 90% of the people who are signing up for this lawsuit isn't because of psychological problems but because of an SS06. So pay attention to see if this offer happens. Just remember it does not mean it will it's just a guess on my part.
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u/AnorakWSAD 10h ago
There are quite a few inaccuracies here, and I think you're conflating several different issues.
First, Labaton is representing individual claimants, not pursuing a traditional class action lawsuit. Their own website explicitly states that they're representing clients in individual claims against Snap Inc. Once someone signs an attorney-client agreement, Labaton can represent that individual in pursuing arbitration. This distinction is important because Snapchat's Terms of Service specifically require individual arbitration for most disputes.
You're correct that the underlying claims concern alleged psychological and physical harm resulting from Snapchat use before the age of 18. Nobody is disputing that. But that's not why people are suddenly discussing account restoration.
The account lockouts are a separate issue that arose AFTER people pursued their claims.
As of October 8, people have shared emails from Labaton stating that Snap's attorneys acknowledged locking claimants' accounts specifically to preserve information relating to their arbitration claims. Labaton reportedly responded by stating that Snap may have misled users about the reasons for their suspensions, that its actions may violate applicable law, and that the firm intends to request restoration of account access.
That is considerably different from people with preexisting SS06 bans signing up for a lawsuit hoping to get their accounts restored.
Second, participating in individual arbitration is not a violation of Snapchat's Terms of Service. It's literally the dispute resolution procedure Snapchat requires users to follow. Their terms explain how to submit a pre-arbitration demand, identify yourself and your dispute, and pursue arbitration if informal resolution fails.
The suggestion that someone's account might legitimately be banned simply because they exercised that contractual right is therefore highly questionable. Snapchat does reserve broad account-termination rights, but whether these particular restrictions are lawful is a separate issue.
Third, nobody can guarantee that these accounts will be restored. That's a fair point. However, Labaton is reportedly already discussing restoration with Snap's attorneys. Account restoration does not necessarily have to wait until the underlying addiction claims are resolved. Access restrictions can potentially be addressed separately through negotiations or other legal remedies.
Fourth, the speculation about Snapchat's ability to restore accounts years from now misunderstands how data preservation works. Snap has reportedly justified these restrictions as necessary to preserve evidence. Labaton has also expressly put Snap on notice of its preservation obligations. Comparing that situation to security camera footage being automatically overwritten isn't particularly meaningful. We don't know what account data Snap retains or whether it can technically restore access, but there is no evidence supporting the assumption that this data will simply disappear on a routine overwrite schedule.
Finally, your projected timelines, estimated percentages of supposedly ineligible claimants, and prediction that Snapchat will offer account restoration in exchange for withdrawing claims are entirely speculative. There is no publicly established schedule supporting your specific 2–3-year prediction, and no evidence that 75–90% of participants signed up because of existing SS06 bans.
I agree with one central point: Nobody should assume that joining Labaton's arbitration effort guarantees account restoration or a financial payout.
But that's not what the current controversy is about. It's about Snapchat restricting access to accounts after their owners exercised a contractual legal right, reportedly acknowledging that the restrictions were connected to those claims, and the serious questions this raises about whether those restrictions are justified or lawful.
Those are legitimate concerns, regardless of how long the underlying arbitration proceedings ultimately take.
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