Teens Selling Drugs on Social Media
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Turns out I’ve been using Snapchat for the wrong things. I just thought it was for nice selfies and cat photos.
A recent investigation from BBC Three has highlighted numerous drug dealers and gangs creating deals through social media apps like Snapchat and the dating sight Yellow. It also noted that dealers as young as 15 can make £300 a day, just by using social media.
Stacey Dooley, who hosted the show, found that dealers are using a “little-known drug language that’s reliant on emojis”. A gang member also said around 75% of their gang’s takings come from online deals.
One dealer, named Tia, 16 (obviously not a real name), was one of the dealers that the programme contacted. He was offering six MDMA pills over Snapchat. He claimed that “the money is addictive”, saying he makes about £300 a day.
“When I’m grown up I’m not going to be selling to little kids… but I am a little kid and I sell these things and all these people that want it; they’re going to come. It’s not my fault people want it.”
All the apps mentioned, Snapchat, Instagram, and Yellow, have ways to report sensitive or illegal content like drugs or nudity. Each of the apps encourages you to report anything that looks fishy immediately and they handle it.
Snapchat said:
“We encourage all Snapchatters to report anything to us that doesn’t belong on Snapchat, including by using our new in-app reporting tools.”
Yellow admitted that they needed to do more to combat the number of people using their app to sell drugs.
Stacey Dooley said:
“I fear is it is going to take something very tragic to happen to these kids before Yellow, Instagram, and Snapchat wake up and take action. Until then it’s a drug dealer’s paradise.”
If anyone has any drugs to sell, please contact me on my personal Snapchat, reallyiamnotacoptrustme.