Discord Child Exploitation Lawsuits

Discord is a popular messaging and communication platform used for video calls, audio calls and instant messaging. It’s particularly popular among younger users and video game players. Internal data shows that about 90% of its users are gamers.

The platform, originally launched in 2015, is free to use and has more than 200 million active monthly users.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that about 30% of teens in the United States use Discord. It saw a particular rise in popularity among younger users in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discord doesn’t allow users under 13 on the platform, but it doesn’t have stringent age-verification features.

Its popularity has risen in part thanks to its easy-to-use interface, range of communications features and accessible paths to building or participating in online communities.

Some lawsuits have been filed accusing Discord of failing to prevent child exploitation through its platform. These lawsuits are based on claims that predators have used the app to get in touch with children, which may have led to sexual exploitation and assault.

People who have filed lawsuits argue that Discord prioritized growth over keeping its users safe, failing to implement safety features that could have prevented exploitation.

“Discord has also created a haven for predators seeking to groom, traffic, and sexually abuse vulnerable minors by providing predators with endless opportunities for unmitigated interactions with children,” one lawsuit states.

NBC News reported in 2023 that the app has been used to groom children before abduction or exploitation. It uncovered 35 cases over a six-year span where adults were prosecuted on charges involving communication via Discord.

Of those cases, 22 took place after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as Discord’s popularity among children rose.

Another major component of these lawsuits is the claim that Discord misled both parents and users about the strength of its safety features.

“Since its inception, Discord has falsely assured parents that its app provides a safe place for children to spend their time interacting with others,” one lawsuit states.

Some lawsuits claim that Discord does not adhere to its supposed zero-tolerance policy for content or conduct that could endanger children.

State and Government Actions Against Discord

In April 2025, the New Jersey Attorney General announced a lawsuit against Discord, claiming that the platform misled parents about its safety.

“Discord markets itself as a safe space for children, despite being fully aware that the application’s misleading safety settings and lax oversight has made it a prime hunting ground for online predators seeking easy access to children,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a release at the time.

The lawsuit argued that predators use the app to contact, stalk and victimize children while also posing as children themselves.

Despite these concerns, the lawsuit claimed that Discord has touted its safety features and misrepresented how it protects its users.

“Discord’s promises fell, and continue to fall, flat,” the release stated.

Discord and the litigation surrounding the app have often been closely tied to the growing number of Roblox lawsuits.

Roblox is a popular gaming platform that allows its users access to a wide array of different online games. It is wildly popular, with more than 150 million daily users. Like Discord, it is particularly popular among children.

Many lawsuits have been filed over claims that Roblox enabled child exploitation by putting growth before safety and failing to protect its users from predators who took advantage of the platform to reach and exploit children.

In December 2025, dozens of these cases were grouped together in multidistrict litigation (MDL). This is a legal procedure in which many similar lawsuits are consolidated before a single judge for coordinated proceedings. It’s often used when a large number of cases are expected to be filed.

Discord ties into these cases because some lawsuits claim that predators met children through Roblox before then moving their communications with that minor to another app like Discord.

Some lawsuits name both Roblox and Discord as defendants.

Both apps face similar claims centered on whether they failed to protect their users from these predators and whether they prioritized growth and profits over implementing safety features that could have made a difference.

These litigations are in the early stages and new lawsuits are still being filed. So far, no cases have advanced to trial and there have been no major settlements.