New Jersey Sues Online Platform Discord Over Child Predator Concerns

New Jersey on Thursday became the first state to sue gaming platform Discord, alleging the company failed to protect children from online predators despite marketing itself as a “fun and safe space for teens.”

The civil suit, filed by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, alleges that Discord violated the state’s Consumer Fraud Act by failing to protect minors, according to a report by NBC News.

Discord is a popular messaging platform used by millions to chat via text, voice, and video. It is especially popular among young gamers, who use the platform to converse while playing games like Roblox and Minecraft, both of which are heavily used by children.

The gaming chat platform officially bans users under 13 and claims a zero-tolerance policy toward those who exploit minors, per NBC News.

“They’ve waged a very extensive PR campaign to tell the public all the features that they put in place to protect kids on their app,” Platkin said. “They know that they’re not working, and they know that they’re not actually protecting kids the way they say they are.”

Discord defended its safety measures, saying the company is “proud” of its “continuous efforts and investments in features and tools that help make Discord safer.”

A spokesperson added that the platform disputes the claims in the lawsuit and looks “forward to defending the action in court.”

According to Platkin, children under 13 can create accounts by simply checking a box claiming they are older.

The platform’s “Sensitive Media” filter, designed to blur explicit material, often doesn’t work and is “very easy to evade.”

A 2023 NBC News investigation uncovered 35 cases where adults were prosecuted for kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault allegedly involving Discord communications, plus more than 100 additional cases of child sexual abuse material.

Following heavy public scrutiny, Discord made several policy updates, including banning teen dating and artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material on the service.

The company’s CEO, Jason Citron, called reports of exploitation on the platform “horrifying” at the time.

In January, Citron was among several tech executives called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety policies alongside leaders from Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and X.

The New Jersey lawsuit is seeking civil penalties, restitution for affected users, and court-mandated changes to Discord’s policies and features to better protect minors on the platform.