SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office has launched a civil investigation into Discord, a social media and gaming platform he said is increasingly used by child predators.
Uthmeier made the announcement alongside Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman at a news conference. He said the state has issued subpoenas seeking records related to how Discord markets itself, how it represents the platform’s safety for children, and what steps it takes to address complaints and reported exploitation.
“We’ve brought investigations into Snapchat, into Roblox, and others,” Uthmeier said. “What we’ve learned today is all roads lead to Discord.”
Uthmeier described Discord as an “online gaming app” and said his office has seen cases in which predators allegedly initiate contact with children on other platforms before moving communications to Discord. He called it a “safe haven” for predators because they believe it is harder for parents and law enforcement to monitor.
“So today, we launch a civil investigation,” Uthmeier said. “Today, we have sent numerous subpoenas to gather information from this company to figure out how much they know about the harms that are taking place and what they’re doing to address it.”
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Uthmeier pointed to a case in Marion County involving a Tennessee man he identified as Wesley Hurd. Uthmeier said Hurd created a Discord chat group called “The Kitty Cult” and used it to groom young girls, then traveled to Marion County and abducted a girl. Uthmeier said law enforcement coordinated to locate the defendant and rescue the girl.
Hoffman said delays in obtaining information from technology platforms can complicate child-exploitation investigations. “If you need real-time information because you’re trying to save a life of the children … sometimes it takes months to get this information back and children are being victimized,” he said.
Hoffman also described a Sarasota County case in which he said an adult used Grindr to lure a minor, then sent an Uber to bring the child to an apartment. He said deputies made an arrest after the juvenile answered the door.
He urged parents and guardians to monitor devices, check screen time, review content on phones and use parental controls. “Parents have got to take an active role in what their kids are doing,” he said.
Hoffman cited what he described as a one-year snapshot of reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, saying that from March 2025 to March 2026 there were “over 19.7 million tips” reported nationally. He said Sarasota County received 626 tips, including 122 involving Snapchat, and said Discord was second on his agency’s list.
Rita Peters, special counsel in the attorney general’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, said online gaming has become an “entry point” for offenders. “It starts with normal conversations about a game,” she said, describing a progression from public chats to private messaging.
Dr. Jacqueline Kelly, a Sarasota pediatrician, said she has seen increased mental health concerns among children and described social media as “damaging our children’s mental health.” She said she has treated “a suicidal child as young as eight years of age” and urged parents to be involved and set boundaries.
Monica Satcher, founder of Acts of Love Ministries, also urged parents to monitor devices and talk regularly with children about online safety.
Uthmeier said the civil investigation is aimed at determining how Discord addresses risks to children and whether the state should pursue court action. “If we see evidence of wrongdoing, there could be civil action and roadblocks,” he said.
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