AG Platkin sues ‘Discord’ for exposing NJ kids to sexual and violent content

(WPHL)– New Jersey Attorney General, Matthew J. Platkin, and the Division of Consumer Affairs has announced a lawsuit against the messaging platform, Discord, over its lack of safety controls risks for children.

The lawsuit alleges “Discord’s conduct violated New Jersey’s consumer protection laws and exposed New Jersey children to sexual and violent content, leaving them vulnerable to online predators lurking on the Discord app.”

“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,” said Attorney General Platkin. “These deceptive claims regarding its safety settings have allowed Discord to attract a growing number of children to use its application, where they are at risk. We intend to put a stop to this unlawful conduct and hold Discord accountable for the harm it has caused our children.”

According to a statement from the AG’s office, “Discord engaged in multiple violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (“CFA”). Discord knew its safety features and policies could not and did not protect its youthful user base, but refused to do better, the complaint alleges. In particular, Discord misled parents and kids about its safety settings for direct messages (“DMs”).”

The AG and alleges Discord which has been marketed as a “safe” app, has failed to meet the promises of its “Safe Direct Messaging feature” which claims to automatically scan and delete private direct messages that contained explicit media content.

Examples cited in the lawsuit show predators using the app to “stalk, contact, and victimize children.”

“Discord claims that safety is at the core of everything it does, but the truth is, the application is not safe for children. Discord’s deliberate misrepresentation of the application’s safety settings has harmed—and continues to harm—New Jersey’s children, and must stop,” said Cari Fais, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “By filing this lawsuit, we’re sending a clear message that New Jersey will not allow businesses to grow their customer base through unlawful and deceptive practices, especially when those practices put children at grave risk.”

Main points in the lawsuit:

• Discord Misled Users About its “Safe Direct Messaging” Feature
• Discord’s Design Decisions Exacerbated the Risk to Children on the App
• Discord Misrepresented That Users Under the Age of 13 Are Not Permitted to Create Accounts and Are Banned from Discord Upon Discovery

According to a statement from the AG, “the lawsuit seeks a number of remedies, including an injunction to stop Discord from violating the CFA, civil penalties, and the disgorgement of any profits generated in New Jersey through this unlawful behavior.”

In previous years the AG’s office sued, TikTok and Meta in an effort to keep children safe online.