TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Discord, accusing the popular online communication platform of misleading families about its safety measures and exposing children to online predators.
The lawsuit alleges that Discord promoted itself as a safe environment for young users while failing to implement adequate age verification, prevent unwanted contact between minors and strangers, and protect children from potential exploitation.
“We’ve arrested more than 2,100 child predators in this state since I took office,” Uthmeier said. “Again and again, their trail to our kids leads back to Discord. Discord told parents that safety is at the core of everything they do. That was false. It’s time for this app to get serious about protecting our children or face serious consequences.”
Discord, which allows users to communicate through text, voice and video channels, has more than 200 million monthly users worldwide. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the platform reported approximately 2.7 million monthly active users under age 18 in the United States as of February 2024.
Lawsuit Raises Concerns About Age Verification and Child Safety
Florida’s complaint alleges that Discord has failed to implement sufficient safeguards to prevent adults from misrepresenting their ages and contacting minors.
According to state officials, users have been able to create accounts using little more than an email address and a self-reported date of birth. The lawsuit also challenges Discord’s previous default settings, which allowed strangers to send children friend requests and messages.
The complaint further alleges that Discord does not comprehensively monitor private communications for violations of its safety policies.
State officials cited several criminal cases involving predators who allegedly used Discord to contact children.
In one case, a 60-year-old St. Cloud man posed as a 14-year-old boy and communicated with nearly 300 minors through the platform. The man is now serving a life sentence.
In another case, a 19-year-old Highlands County man allegedly moved an 11-year-old Miami-Dade County girl from the Roblox gaming platform to Discord before kidnapping and sexually assaulting her.
Florida officials argue that these incidents illustrate the dangers associated with inadequate protections on online communication platforms.
Florida Seeks Financial Penalties and Changes to Discord’s Practices
The lawsuit accuses Discord of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and a state law governing the protection of children’s personal information online.
The complaint also includes claims of negligence, negligent misrepresentation and public nuisance.
Among other allegations, the state contends that Discord misled parents about its safety protections, failed to exercise reasonable care in operating its platform and improperly handled children’s personal information despite foreseeable risks.
Uthmeier is asking the court to require Discord to strengthen its safety measures, including implementing meaningful age verification and obtaining parental consent before collecting certain information from children.
The Attorney General’s Office is also seeking financial penalties, including:
- Up to $10,000 for each willful violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
- Up to $50,000 per violation of Florida’s online child protection law.
- Up to $150,000 per violation when the company had actual knowledge that an affected Florida user was under 18.
The state is also requesting consumer restitution, damages, attorney’s fees and the recovery of money allegedly obtained through deceptive business practices.
The allegations have not been established in court.
Lawsuit Follows State Investigation and Discord Safety Changes
The legal action follows an investigation launched by Uthmeier’s office in March 2026, which included a subpoena seeking information about Discord’s operations and child safety practices.
On September 22, 2026, Discord announced additional safety settings for teenage users.
However, the Attorney General’s Office argues that the changes came too late and do not adequately address the risks identified in the lawsuit.
Patti Rendon, a member of the Hillsborough County School Board, expressed support for the state’s legal action.
“Invisible predators are locating Florida’s children online,” Rendon said. “The Attorney General’s office is ensuring that online platforms know they have a responsibility to keep our children safe.”
The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by Florida officials to increase oversight of social media, gaming and online communication services used by minors.
Florida’s complaint seeks both financial penalties and a permanent court order prohibiting the practices the state considers deceptive or harmful to children.
The Attorney General’s Office has made the full lawsuit against Discord available online. The lawsuit follows several other legal actions by Uthmeier’s office targeting technology companies over alleged risks to minors, including TikTok and Meta.
Discord’s response to the latest lawsuit was not included in the Attorney General’s announcement.
