United States of America: Attorney General filed lawsuit against Discord over alleged safety misrepresentations and COPPA violations

On 17 April 2025, the New Jersey Attorney General and the Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs filed a complaint against Discord Inc., alleging violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act (CFA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The complaint claims that Discord engaged in false promises, misrepresentations, deceptive practices, and knowing omissions regarding the safety of its platform for children and the effectiveness of its safety features. The State alleges that Discord falsely marketed its platform as a "safe space for teens," failed to protect children from predators despite knowing the risks, and did not effectively enforce its minimum age requirement of 13. According to the complaint, Discord's design choices, including default settings that allow strangers to contact child users, increased these risks. The complaint also asserts that Discord misled users about its "Safe Direct Messaging" feature, which did not scan text or messages between "friends," and that information about these limitations was hidden in obscure webpages rather than presented in the application. Despite internal research, user complaints, and criminal cases involving New Jersey minors, the company allegedly delayed taking effective action to improve safety.