Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Thursday against Discord, alleging the online communication platform misled families about its safety protections while exposing children to sexual predators and privacy risks.
The lawsuit alleges Discord violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and a state law protecting children online, along with claims of negligence, negligent misrepresentation and public nuisance.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Discord marketed itself as a safe platform for children despite allegedly failing to implement adequate age verification requirements, restrict communications between minors and strangers, or sufficiently monitor private messages for misconduct.
The platform has more than 200 million monthly users worldwide and reported approximately 2.7 million monthly active users under 18 in the United States as of February 2024.
The complaint cites several Florida criminal cases involving predators who used Discord to contact minors, including a St. Cloud man sentenced to life in prison after impersonating a teenager and contacting nearly 300 children.
“Discord told parents that safety is at the core of everything they do. That was false,” Uthmeier said.
The state is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the alleged unlawful practices, including operating without meaningful age verification and collecting children’s personal information without parental consent.
Florida is also seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per willful consumer protection violation and up to $150,000 for certain violations of the state’s child online protection law.
The lawsuit additionally requests restitution, damages and attorney’s fees.
