Florida sues Discord over child safety violations

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida officials filed a lawsuit against Discord, accusing the social media platform of exposing children to online predators and failing to enforce safety measures.

Florida child safety lawsuit

What we know:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced legal action against Discord following a six-month investigation into the messaging app. State officials issued subpoenas to the company about six months ago after identifying security gaps. Uthmeier said that while Discord implemented some updates, the platform failed to take sufficient action to keep children safe from harm.

The state alleges that adults have posed as minors on Discord to prey upon children, leading to instances of physical and sexual abuse. The complaint asserts claims under Florida's consumer protection laws for deceptive and unfair trade practices, public nuisance, and negligence. State officials stated that predators often initiate contact with minors on other social media apps before moving conversations to Discord to share explicit content and private details without content moderation.

Missing safety measures

What we don't know:

It remains unclear when the court will hear Florida’s request for programmatic changes to Discord's platform. State officials have not specified how long Discord will have to implement systemic changes if a judge rules in Florida's favor.

Tech industry oversight

The backstory:

The lawsuit against Discord follows previous legal actions taken by Florida against major tech platforms, including Roblox, Snapchat, Meta, and TikTok. Uthmeier said tech companies have designed applications to be addictive, resulting in screen time that contributes to youth mental health challenges, self-harm, and solicitation by predators. State leaders previously targeted Roblox through civil and criminal actions over similar child exploitation concerns.

Potential financial penalties

By the numbers:

Florida is seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per willful violation under state deceptive trade practice laws. The lawsuit also seeks up to $50,000 per violation under Florida's children's online protection law. Penalties can reach up to $150,000 per violation in cases where Discord had actual knowledge that a user was under 18. Uthmeier estimated that total damages could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Enforcing app protections

What's next:

Florida is asking the court to order structural platform changes, including effective age verification systems and permanent bans for offenders to prevent them from creating new accounts. State officials indicated that additional lawsuits against other social media applications could be filed in the future.

TampaCrime and Public Safety