Discord Child Abuse
Millions of kids use Discord, an online communication platform. However, more and more instances of adults using the platform to groom and sexually abuse children are coming to light through criminal complaints, lawsuits, and news reports. At the Victim Advocacy Center, we’re here to help those harmed by Discord child abuse move forward.
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Understanding Discord Sexual Abuse
Discord is an online communication service that’s very popular with children, teens, and young adults. Anyone can make a free account and start communicating with others through private messages, group forums called “servers,” and video calls.
However, parents all over the country are warning that children could experience grooming, abuse, and exploitation from using Discord. In the most serious cases, kids experience in-person sexual abuse after meeting groomers online through the platform.
Here’s what to know about Discord sexual abuse:
- Exploitation risks: Adults use Discord to strike up online friendships and build trust with kids, then commit abuse. This ranges from sending sexual messages, videos, or memes, requesting explicit images or videos from children, trying to meet up with them, and more.
- Inadequate age verification: Discord is only for those aged 13 and up, but many users lie about their age to get around the requirement. As of 2023, 58% of Discord users were under the age of 16, accounting for nearly 40 million children.
- Integration with other apps: Kids often use Discord with other apps or games. One of the most notable is Roblox®, which has also been named in a growing number of child abuse cases.
- Poor safety measures: Parents can enable safety settings that limit their kids’ ability to interact with others on Discord. However, many parents don’t know about these settings until it’s too late. Children can also deactivate the settings, according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Discord child abuse lawsuits claim that the platform has not done enough to protect kids from grooming and sextortion, leading to preventable harm.
In 2023, Discord CEO Jason Citron made a statement about child exploitation on the platform. “As a parent, it’s horrifying,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We take this stuff very seriously.” Yet more families continue to come forward every day.
Kids deserve safe spaces to interact and play with others online. If Discord child abuse impacted your family, we’re here to help pursue the justice you deserve.
Who Is Eligible to File a Discord Child Abuse Lawsuit?
It can be devastating to know that your child experienced sexual abuse or mistreatment through someone they met on Discord. However, it’s important to understand that justice may be available through a Discord child safety lawsuit.
You may be eligible to file Discord lawsuits if your child was:
- Groomed by an adult through Discord
- Manipulated into sending sexual texts, images, or videos
- Sexually mistreated in real life by someone they met on Discord
You may also be able to pursue a Discord child abuse lawsuit if you were abused as a minor but are now 18 or older.
Call (877) 684-0487 now to learn if you or someone you love can pursue compensation through a Discord child abuse lawsuit.
Roblox and Discord Lawsuits for Child Abuse
It’s possible to sue Discord for child abuse even if your child first met their abuser on another platform such as Roblox or Snapchat. Other families have filed lawsuits against both Discord and Roblox to pursue compensation.
Roblox is an online gaming platform that millions of kids use. But, in a rising number of cases, children have met unsafe adults through Roblox. Their conversations continued through Discord, leading to harrowing instances of sexual abuse.
Roblox and Discord lawsuits claim that both companies haven’t done enough to prevent predators from getting to children. For instance, in September 2025, a Texas mother sued both platforms after her 15-year-old son committed suicide.
She claimed her son’s death was directly related to grooming and sexual abuse he experienced on the platforms starting at age 12 from a man posing as a child, despite parental controls being in place on both Roblox and Discord.
Steps to File Discord Child Abuse Lawsuits
While filing a Discord child abuse lawsuit can seem daunting at first, the process is much easier when you work with skilled attorneys. Top child abuse law firms across the country have experienced lawyers on staff who’ll walk you through the process.
Here are steps for filing Discord sexual abuse lawsuits:
- Get a free, no-obligation case review from an attorney so you can understand your options.
- Start gathering evidence to support your lawsuit. Skilled child abuse attorneys will do this on your behalf, making it less stressful. Evidence may include logs of Discord chats, screenshots, user IDs, and account information that proves the company didn’t do enough to keep your child safe.
- File your Discord child abuse lawsuit promptly in the right court system. You don’t have to file yourself. Your Discord child abuse lawyer will do this for you.
- Pursue a Discord sexual abuse settlement out of court. The majority of lawsuits reach settlements so you can receive compensation faster. Your attorneys will negotiate with lawyers representing Discord to pursue a fair settlement payout.
- Go to trial in the rare event that your Discord child abuse lawsuit isn’t settled. Your legal team will prepare your lawsuit so that it is as strong as possible.
Your Discord lawyer will work to pursue the most amount of money possible through a settlement or trial verdict, so you can pay for counseling, medical care, and ongoing support.
It’s important to understand that experienced Discord child abuse lawyers handle the lawsuit process for you. This means you can focus on helping your child recover while getting the legal justice you deserve.
Discord Child Lawsuit 2025 Updates
Families, legal professionals, and law enforcement officials across the country have reported serious cases of grooming and child sexual exploitation occurring on Discord. Find out about breaking news related to Discord child abuse.
- September 2025: A Utah man was arrested and charged with 9 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after he allegedly downloaded child sex abuse materials from Discord.
- September 2025: A mother filed a Roblox and Discord child abuse lawsuit after losing her 15-year-old son to suicide in April 2024. He’d experienced grooming and sexual abuse by a child predator whom he met on the platforms starting at age 12, despite parental controls being in place.
- August 2025: A California family sued Discord and Roblox after a 10-year-old girl was groomed by an adult man. She gave him her home address, and he abducted her.
- July 2025: Roblox and Discord are hit with a lawsuit from a Florida family, whose 11-year-old daughter was raped by a man she met on the platform. The family had initially believed that safety features on the platforms were enough to keep her safe.
- April 2025: The New Jersey attorney general filed a lawsuit against Discord claiming the company misled users about its safety features, violating consumer fraud laws in the state.
- February 2025: The family of a 13-year-old boy filed a Roblox and Discord child abuse lawsuit claiming that the boy suffered child abuse as a result of inadequate protections on the platforms. The accused perpetrator is believed to have harmed nearly 30 children.
- July 2023: Discord introduces its Family Center, a hub for stronger parental controls in an effort to keep kids safe. However, as of 2025, children can turn the safety settings off according to the ESRB.
- June 2023: NBC investigators found at least 35 incidents of child grooming, kidnapping, and sexual assault stemming from Discord that led to criminal charges. The incidents dated back to 2017.
It’s likely that more cases will come to light as Discord litigation moves forward, with families demanding that the company take accountability for abuse that happened on its watch.
“There is a child exploitation issue on the platform. That’s undeniable.”
— John Shehan, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children senior vice president
How Do I Keep My Child Safe on Discord?
There are several actions you can take to keep your kids safe from Discord child abuse. Learn about the importance of each below.
1. Set Up Safety Features & Parental Controls
Discord has several settings that can help protect your child from harmful or explicit messages. These can be found in the “Safe Direct Messaging” section in the user settings, as noted by the ESRB. You can also prevent strangers from sending direct messages (DMs) or friend requests to your child, block users, and report concerning interactions.
Discord also allows parents to access key parental controls through the Family Center. This includes who their child has recently friended, messaged, and more. However, specific messages and chats remain private.
2. Discuss Concerns With Your Child
It’s always a good idea to discuss safe internet use before letting your child go on Discord, Roblox, and other platforms.
Tell your child to only talk with other kids they know in person and not join Discord servers where they could interact with strangers. Remind them that not everyone is who they say they are online, and to avoid sharing sensitive material like their full name, pictures, or address.
3.Take Swift Action
If you notice any strange or troubling changes in your child that could stem from their time on Discord, Roblox, or other apps, don’t ignore them. Always encourage your child to come forward.
Child abusers may try to blackmail kids into staying silent. Reassure your child that they won’t be punished for speaking out about what’s bothering them.
It’s not your fault, or your child’s fault, if abuse has occurred on Discord. The company had a duty to keep kids safe, but has repeatedly failed.
Help for Discord Child Abuse
Your child didn’t deserve to experience sexual abuse or exploitation on Discord. Yet a growing number of lawsuits reveal that Discord child abuse is rampant — and the company hasn’t done enough to keep kids safe from predators.
The Victim Advocacy Center is ready to support you and your family. Our on-staff patient advocates, nurses, and attorneys can connect you with important resources that can help you start to heal.
Knowing your child has suffered sexual abuse on Discord can be overwhelming, but we’re here to walk with you through it and begin the healing process.
Get a free case review or call (877) 684-0487 now to see how we can assist you and your loved ones.
Discord Child Abuse FAQs
What is platform abuse in Discord?
Platform abuse on Discord refers to any misuse of the service that harms users or violates Discord’s terms of service. This includes harassment, bullying, sharing explicit content, and exploiting minors.
An increasing number of Discord sexual abuse lawsuits are being filed, claiming that adults used the platform to groom and sexually assault children.
Child sexual abuse on Discord can occur through private messages, public servers, or voice chats, with lasting emotional and mental health impacts. It can even lead to in-person cases of kidnapping and sexual assaults.
Does Discord report to police?
Yes, Discord does report cases of child sexual abuse to local police as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), per its community guidelines.
With that said, not every case of Discord child abuse is caught in time, as recent lawsuits have noted, leaving children traumatized from sexual content. Some kids have even been groomed and abducted by adults they met through Discord.
Contact us now for help picking up the pieces and moving forward if your child experienced Discord sexual abuse.
What is the “13 rule” on Discord?
The “13 rule” refers to Discord’s minimum age requirement for users. According to the terms of service, users must be at least 13 years old to create a Discord account.
Discord is technically age restricted and will lock accounts if the user is suspected of being under 13. However, the company has admitted that millions of younger users under the age of 13 are likely using Discord.
The ESRB recommends not allowing your child to join Discord until they’re 13 years old and explain to them the potential risks before signing up.
Is Discord OK for my 12 year old?
Discord is not recommended for children under 13. Even then, it’s important to monitor your child’s online activity and help them understand the potential risks of chatting with users they don’t know.
Taking these proactive steps can help keep your child safe from sexual predators on Discord, as well as other platforms like Roblox.
If your family has been impacted by Discord child abuse, we’re here for you. Get a free case review to see how we can help you pursue justice and compensation for your child’s suffering.
Can I file a Discord class action lawsuit?
Not yet. At this time, most Discord child abuse cases are being filed as individual lawsuits.
Class actions can only move forward when a large group of people are harmed similarly by the same defendant. However, a Discord class action lawsuit could be formed in the future if enough victims come forward with similar claims.
However, an individual Discord child abuse lawsuit allows your case to get the personalized attention it deserves. Top sexual abuse lawyers will work to build your lawsuit so it’s as strong as possible.

Written by: Victim Advocacy Center
A trusted resource for survivors of abuse, neglect, and violence. Our mission is to provide education, empower individuals with knowledge, and connect victims to the legal resources they need to reclaim their lives and pursue justice. We are dedicated to standing by survivors at every step, offering guidance, support, and a pathway to hope.
- CNN. (2022, March 22). The Dark Side of Discord for Teens. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/22/tech/discord-teens.
- Discord. (2025, September 29). Discord Community Guidelines. Retrieved from https://discord.com/guidelines/.
- Discord. (2023, July 11). Stay Connected With Your Teen Using Discord’s Family Center. Retrieved from https://discord.com/blog/discord-family-center-stay-connected-with-your-teen.
- ESRB. (2025, March 19). What Parents Need to Know About Discord. Retrieved from https://www.esrb.org/blog/what-parents-need-to-know-about-discord/.
- Jackson, M. (2024, August 13). Discord dangers: Va. mom warns parents of violent groups targeting children. Retrieved from https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/discord-dangers-va-mom-warns-parents-of-violent-groups-targeting-children/.
- NBC. (2023, June 21). Child predators are using Discord, a popular app among teens, for sextortion and abductions. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/discord-child-safety-social-platform-challenges-rcna89769.
- NBC. (2023, June 22). ‘It’s horrifying’: Discord CEO on child abuse issues after NBC News investigation. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/discord-ceo-child-safety-ai-server-deepfake-rcna90676.
- Pew Research Center. (2024, May 9). Teens and Video Games Today. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/05/09/teens-and-video-games-today/.
- U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). Keeping Children Safe Online. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/keeping-children-safe-online.
- Van de Riet, E. (2025, August 11). Family files lawsuit saying Roblox, Discord failed to protect 10-year-old daughter from being abducted. Retrieved from https://www.live5news.com/2025/08/11/family-files-lawsuit-saying-roblox-discord-failed-protect-10-year-old-daughter-being-abducted/.
- WXII. (2025, September 24). More North Carolina families file lawsuits against Roblox alleging the app allows for child exploitation. Retrieved from https://www.wxii12.com/article/more-nc-families-sue-roblox-and-discord/68037911.
