Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced a Florida civil investigation into Discord, alleging the popular messaging and voice chat platform has become a primary conduit for online sexual predators targeting children, with many state criminal cases tracing back to the app.
Speaking at a news conference at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office alongside Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, Uthmeier declared that “all roads lead to Discord” in grooming investigations. He said predators frequently initiate contact with minors on platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite, Snapchat, or TikTok before shifting communications to Discord, which he accused of inadequate safeguards against exploitation.
“Many of our criminal investigations into internet child predators lead to one place: Discord,” Uthmeier stated. “Groomers meet children on other apps and encourage them to move to Discord, where protections for kids appear insufficient.”
The investigation, launched that day, includes subpoenas issued to Discord demanding documents on its age-verification processes, content moderation practices, parental control features, marketing strategies targeting children, records of complaints involving sexual exploitation, and data on minor users. Uthmeier’s office is also reviewing files from prior child predator cases linked to the platform.
Discord, widely used in gaming communities for text, voice, and video communication, describes itself as a space “for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community.”
Uthmeier argued the company fails to adequately police illegal activity, creating a “safe haven” for predators to engage in “disgusting” conduct.
“We’re going to stand in the way,” Uthmeier said. “We’re going to investigate and hold this company accountable for taking advantage of our kids.”
The probe follows similar actions by Uthmeier’s office against other platforms, including a December 2025 lawsuit against Roblox alleging deception about child safety and failure to prevent grooming. He has intensified scrutiny of social media and gaming apps since assuming office about a year ago.
No immediate response from Discord was detailed in connection with the announcement as of March 23, 2026. The full press release and related statements are available on the Florida Attorney General’s website.
