FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Florida’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Discord, a communication platform, accusing it of giving predators access to children.Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the legal action during a news conference. The lawsuit targets Discord’s practices and safety measures for minors.”With our civil tools, we’re going to continue to hold big tech companies accountable that expose our kids to danger,” Uthmeier said.Discord is a platform where users can text, voice call, video call and share photos and videos. The lawsuit accuses Discord of deceptive trade practices, negligence and creating a public nuisance by failing to enforce adequate age verification from online predators.Uthmeier said his office tried to work with the company in the past. While some changes have been made, he said it simply isn’t enough.During the news conference, Uthmeier gave a graphic example of how the platform was used in a crime.”An 11-year-old girl in Miami was lured from Roblox, another of these sites, onto Discord by a grown man who was posing as a teenager,” Uthmeier said. “He would end up sexually assaulting and kidnapping her.”Discord support says the platform has an age estimation model that predicts whether the user is an adult or a teen. When they know it’s a teen, they “apply additional safety protections automatically, like filtering sensitive content and restricting access to age-restricted spaces.”Parents want to see more restrictions on the platform. Yasmany Alvarez, a father, said the lawsuit is a step in the right direction.”It’s a step in the right direction for sure,” Alvarez said. “But I think more could be done. It’s just like the wheel; it just has to get turning.”Arlete Alvarez, a mother, said parents need to take responsibility for their children’s safety online. She said restrictions are helpful, but they’re not 100% certain.”That would be good if they could have more restriction,” Alvarez said. “I just wouldn’t rely on the companies to take care of our kids.”She said she constantly monitors her kids’ internet usage, blocking everything that opens communication to strangers.”Try to be present,” Alvarez said. “Try to talk to them too about the dangers out there. Make sure that they don’t talk to strangers.”Alvarez said predators will find ways to reach children despite restrictions.”No matter how many restrictions they put on this app, I believe that they find a way to just reach your kids somehow,” Alvarez said.Civil penalties start at $10,000 and can reach up to $150,000.
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