MCKINNEY, Texas (CN) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Discord Friday, claiming the popular social media platform allows rampant child exploitation.
In a complaint filed in Collin County District Court, Paxton claims that despite marketing itself as safe, Discord has design features that enable predation, including private servers, reliance on unpaid volunteers for server moderation and safety features that require users to opt-in.
"Discord presents itself to the world as a platform built on community, connection, and safety," Paxton writes in the complaint. "It is not. Behind the safety pages and transparency pages, Discord built and maintains one of the internet's most efficient hunting grounds for manipulation, grooming, and predatory behavior towards children."
As a result of these failures, Paxton argues, Discord has become a haven for predators. He cites an analysis by Hearst Television's National Investigative Unit that identified hundreds of criminal cases involving Discord users over the past decade, nearly half tied to child exploitation.
Paxton points to several examples in the complaint, including lawsuits claiming a 13-year-old Texas girl was sexually assaulted after being groomed on Discord and that a 15-year-old boy with autism died by suicide after being coerced into sending sexually explicit photos. The complaint also says the violent extremist and child exploitation network known as "764" originally formed on Discord.
Paxton has previously brought similar lawsuits against platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Roblox over claims children were exploited or exposed to explicit content.
Paxton argues Discord violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by falsely advertising the platform as safe. The lawsuit seeks injunctions requiring Discord to default new accounts to maximum safety settings and adopt age verification measures under Texas' Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, along with civil penalties and revenue disgorgement.
"Discord has allowed and invited all kinds of nihilistic violence and evil. My office is taking action to protect our nation's precious children from predators," Paxton said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "We live in a time where the dangers children face online have never been greater, and every parent in Texas deserves to know their child is protected."
In a statement to Courthouse News Service, a Discord spokesperson said Paxton's lawsuit "does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety."
"Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity, including sharing exploitative and child sexual abuse materials," the spokesperson said. "We provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet."
Source: Courthouse News Service
