Key Takeaways
- New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against Discord, accusing the platform of enabling child exploitation due to weak age verification and insufficient content moderation.
- As regulatory demands increase, Discord is testing AI-powered facial scanning in the U.K. and Australia to verify users’ ages.
- Discord joins other platforms like Roblox in facing criticism for failing to protect children.
In the past week, Discord has become the latest platform to be accused of failing to adequately protect young users’ safety.
On Thursday, April 18, New Jersey became the first U.S. state to file a lawsuit against Discord, accusing the company of recklessly exposing children to sexual abuse, graphic content, and exploitation.
The lawsuit coincides with Discord’s testing of a new AI-powered face-scanning feature aimed at verifying users’ ages to restrict access to certain features and spaces.
Allegations Against Discord
According to the lawsuit, with over 200 million users, Discord has become a popular communication tool—but also a target for online predators.
In an interview with The New York Times, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin stated:
“We’ve seen child exploitation, child sexual abuse material, grooming, kidnapping—horrific things happening on this platform. And the company has simply not done enough. They put profits ahead of the safety of our kids.”
The lawsuit claims that Discord’s account creation process is too lax, allowing children under 13 to bypass age restrictions and enabling adults to impersonate minors.
It also criticizes the platform’s “Safe Direct Messaging” feature, which uses AI to scan and remove explicit content in private messages, as inadequate.
In response, Discord spokesperson Jillian Susi said the company is proud of its investment in safety tools.
“Given our engagement with the attorney general’s office, we are surprised by the announcement that New Jersey has filed an action against Discord today,” she told the publication.
Facial Recognition and Age Verification
In response to growing regulatory pressure, Discord has begun testing facial recognition technology to verify users’ ages in the U.K. and Australia.
This move comes as governments ramp up demands for stronger protections for children online.
In the U.K., new online safety laws will require large platforms to implement “robust” age verification systems by July or face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
While it’s unclear how the new facial recognition tools will affect Discord’s legal challenges in the U.S., experts believe the technology could help satisfy regulators.
Social media analyst Matt Navarra told the BBC: “Regulators want real proof, and facial recognition might be the fastest route there.”
In December, Ofcom—the U.K.’s communications regulator—recommended using facial recognition to determine users’ ages.
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that children are going to lie about their age,” said Jon Higham, Ofcom’s Head of Online Safety Policy.
“We expect the technology to be highly accurate and effective. Poor or substandard verification methods won’t be acceptable.”
Crackdown on Platforms
Discord is the latest tech company to face criticism over child safety issues.
Roblox, one of the world’s most popular online gaming platforms, was recently the subject of a damning investigation that uncovered troubling ways adults can interact with children on the site.
“Despite the safety features in place, adults and children can easily interact in the same virtual spaces, with no effective age verification or separation,” the report found.
In 2024, Roblox averaged over 80 million daily active users, around 40% of whom were under the age of 13.
Investigators reported that even accounts registered as 10-year-olds could freely access highly suggestive environments.
A video posted by Revealing Reality shows one character encountering avatars making sexually suggestive noises and actions.
The 10-year-old account also entered a virtual dance club, where avatars were seen suggestively cuddling on a bed.
In response, Roblox told CCN the investigation “omits important contextual facts that are essential to an accurate understanding of safety on our platform.”
“At Roblox, trust and safety are at the core of everything we do. We continually evolve our policies, technologies, and moderation efforts to protect our community, especially young people,” said Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s Chief Safety Officer.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
