This video is dedicated to Avery, a 15-year-old boy who died after buying MDMA through Snapchat.

Avery grew up with strong boundaries around technology. Waldorf education. Outdoor adventures. Shared screen time rules. Minimal exposure to social media. But once Snapchat entered the picture in high school, everything changed.

Within a year, Avery bought drugs from a local dealer through the app. He took too much and died on December 19, 2024.

I spoke with Avery’s dad, Aaron, who asked me to share this story so other families don’t experience the same loss.

This is not an isolated case.

According to the DEA, 76% of investigated youth drug-buying cases involved Snapchat. Internal company documents have also shown that dealers prefer disappearing-message platforms because they make detection harder.

In this video, I break down:

• Why Snapchat is different from what most parents think

• How social media platforms enable dangerous behavior

• Why “everyone else has it” is not a good reason

• What actually helps protect kids online

• Why removing social media often strengthens real friendships

• Tools like the Bark Phone that can help parents monitor risk

Watch my conversation with Mike McLeod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJU9u68PNt8

For more resources, visit:

www.familyitguy.com

Search “Snapchat” on the site for additional articles and tools.

Chapters:

00:00 Avery’s Story

01:11 Why Snapchat Is Different

02:18 The DEA Investigation

03:04 What Actually Protects Kids

04:08 Are Snapchat Friendships Real?

05:08 Why Boundaries Matter

05:47 Tools That Can Help Parents

Check out the @BarkTechnologies phone here: https://www.familyitguy.com/go/bark