Brazil Sues Discord for Nearly $100 Million Over Child Safety Failures

• Brazil is seeking R$500 million ($97 million) in damages from Discord over alleged failures to protect children and teenagers.
• The lawsuit follows the death of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly encouraged to take her own life during a livestream.
• Authorities are demanding stronger age verification, parental controls and closer cooperation with law enforcement.

The Brazilian government has filed a lawsuit against Discord seeking nearly $100 million in damages, accusing the messaging platform of failing to provide adequate safeguards for children, teenagers and other vulnerable users.

The case was filed on Tuesday in Brasilia after negotiations between Brazilian authorities and Discord failed to produce an agreement. According to the government, measures proposed by the company were considered insufficient to address the risks identified on the platform.

Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) had already ordered Discord to suspend livestreaming earlier this month following the death of a 13-year-old girl in July. Authorities say the teenager was encouraged by other users to take her own life during a livestream.

According to an official from the Justice Ministry’s Ciberlab intelligence unit, the incident unfolded over approximately 45 minutes. The teenagers involved allegedly first pressured the girl to kill an animal. When she did not do so, they allegedly encouraged her to kill herself.

Five teenagers and one adult have been arrested in connection with the case in a small town in central-western Brazil. One of the detained teenagers is reportedly just 14 years old.

The Brazilian government is now asking the court to order Discord to introduce stronger measures to protect children, adolescents and women online. It is also seeking R$500 million, equivalent to about $97 million, in compensation for what authorities described as collective moral damages.

Discord, which has more than 90 million daily active users, agreed to suspend livestreaming in Brazil on August 17 and said it was working to improve safety for teenagers.

Brazilian authorities, however, maintain that the platform still has weaknesses in its age-verification and user-protection systems. The government says these shortcomings can expose young users to serious online risks.

As part of its demands, Brazil wants Discord to strengthen parental controls, improve cooperation with authorities and introduce systems capable of identifying and preventing situations in which minors could be placed at risk.

Discord expressed regret over the government’s decision to pursue legal action. In a statement, the company said it had consistently engaged in dialogue with Brazilian authorities in good faith and believed the dispute could be resolved through continued cooperation.

The platform said it remained committed to working with relevant authorities on measures that would strengthen user safety while allowing people in Brazil to continue accessing Discord.

The lawsuit comes as Brazil intensifies its scrutiny of major social media and technology platforms, particularly over child safety and harmful online content. The country has introduced rules requiring users under the age of 16 to link their accounts with those of their parents.

On Tuesday, the ANPD also fined TikTok nearly $30 million over failures related to child-safety measures. ANPD director Lorena Giuberti Coutinho described the action as a strong signal to social media companies and indicated that enforcement could become more aggressive in the coming months.

The regulator has also opened proceedings to examine whether 22 social media networks and digital platforms are complying with legislation introduced this year to strengthen online protections for children and teenagers.

Brazil’s wider campaign to regulate major technology companies has previously led to high-profile disputes. The country’s Supreme Court has repeatedly confronted social media companies over disinformation, including Elon Musk’s X.

In 2024, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X to be blocked in Brazil for around 40 days during a dispute over compliance with court orders. The judge has faced accusations of censorship from critics on the political right in both Brazil and the United States, while Brazilian authorities have defended tougher enforcement as necessary to ensure digital platforms comply with the country’s laws.