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Veronica Sommer
Founder, Sacred Stewardship & VentureLoom | Author, Sacred Stewardship: Restoring Moral Clarity in the Digital Age
Protecting Children. Strengthening Families. Bringing God Back to the Center of Family, Culture & Country.
July 8, 2025
When corporations choose who they partner with, they make more than a marketing decision.
They make a values decision.
That is why McDonald's decision to partner with Snapchat deserves far more scrutiny than it has received.
At first glance, it looks like a fun promotional campaign. Bright colors. Digital rewards. Interactive engagement.
But beneath the surface is a much bigger question:
Why would one of the world's most recognizable family brands intentionally drive children and teenagers toward one of the most controversial social media platforms?
The Reality We Can No Longer Ignore
Across America, teachers are dealing with far more than academics.
They are trying to help students suffering from unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep deprivation, cyberbullying, and digital addiction.
Counselors are overwhelmed.
Parents are overwhelmed.
Emergency rooms are seeing increasing numbers of youth experiencing mental health crises.
Law enforcement continues to warn about online exploitation, sextortion, drug sales, and predators using social platforms to target children.
While many companies have contributed to these problems, Snapchat has repeatedly been identified by parents, educators, and law enforcement as one of the platforms most frequently associated with these dangers.
Yet instead of distancing themselves from these concerns, major brands continue rewarding engagement on these platforms with advertising dollars and promotional partnerships.
Imagine If This Were Any Other Industry
If a toy injured children...
It would be recalled.
If a medication caused widespread harm...
It would be investigated immediately.
If a car repeatedly failed safety tests...
Manufacturers would face enormous public pressure.
But when technology products contribute to rising mental health concerns, addictive behaviors, online exploitation, or exposure to harmful content, society often treats it as an unavoidable side effect of modern life.
It isn't.
Technology is designed by people.
Which means it can be redesigned by people.
Corporate Responsibility Doesn't End at the Cash Register
Companies love talking about family values.
Many proudly feature children in their advertising.
Many invest millions promoting their commitment to communities.
Those commitments should extend beyond commercials.
Every advertising dollar sends a message.
Every partnership signals approval.
Every collaboration strengthens another company's influence.
When respected brands partner with platforms that continue facing serious questions about child safety, they lend those platforms credibility.
Consumers deserve to ask whether that aligns with the values those brands claim to represent.
This Is Why Sacred Commerce Matters
This is exactly why we created the Sacred Commerce Alliance.
Redirect Commerce. Rebuild Culture.
Every purchase we make is an investment in the kind of world we want to build.
We can continue funding companies that prioritize engagement over well-being.
Or we can intentionally support organizations whose products, partnerships, and business practices contribute to human flourishing.
Consumers have more influence than they realize.
Corporations follow incentives.
When enough families redirect where they spend their money, companies notice.
What You Can Do
• Contact McDonald's and respectfully ask them to reconsider partnerships that direct young people toward platforms associated with significant child safety concerns.
• Support businesses whose values align with protecting children, strengthening families, and promoting human flourishing.
• Talk with your children about social media before the platforms do.
• Share this conversation with parents, educators, pastors, and community leaders.
Protecting children should never be controversial.
Neither should expecting corporations to act responsibly.
The question isn't whether companies have influence.
The question is how they choose to use it.
Children deserve better.
And together, we can demand better.
