Brazil sues chat platform Discord over failure to protect child users

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters. Published On 27 Aug 202627 Aug 2026.

Key points

• In the aftermath, Brazil's National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) ordered Discord to suspend livestream services on August 12.
• After a case in the western state of Mato Grosso do Sul captured the public's attention, in Brazil, scrutiny fell on Discord in July.
• The $97m lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, comes after what the Brazilian administration describes as failed negotiations with the business.
• On July 22, a 13-year-old girl was on a livestream when she killed herself after being goaded to do so by a group of her fellow teenagers.
• According to But the Brazilian administration, the firm "continues to exhibit flaws in its age verification and user protection mechanisms".

Notably, the Brazilian administration has filed a lawsuit against the chat platform Discord, seeking millions of dollars in damages over alleged failures to protect children and teenage social media users.

Meanwhile, the $97m lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, comes after what the Brazilian administration describes as failed negotiations with the business.

Meanwhile, the complaint argues that Discord failed to abide by laws designed to protect young social media users.

"The lawsuit seeks to compel the Discord platform to adopt effective measures to protect children, adolescents, and women in the digital environment, " authorities stated in an official note, calling for compensation for "collective moral damages".

For context, the firm, even so, has pushed back, saying the lawsuit is excessively harsh and does not accurately depict its compliance with the country's laws.

In practice, the lawsuit is the latest instance of a social media firm facing scrutiny for allegedly exposing young users to harmful content or eroding their mental health through addictive technology products.

Critics say that tech giants have been slow to implement protective measures, despite evidence linking excessive social media employ to mental health matters among young individuals.

In plenty of cases, plaintiffs have argued that social media businesses have prioritised user engagement and profit over health and safety reservations.

Tech firms, even so, have countered that they should not be held responsible for all the content published on their platforms, nor for how users interact with the software.

According to the Brazilian Justice Ministry, the teens first pressured her to kill an animal, but after she failed to do so, they began pushing her to take her own life.

Four teenagers and one adult have been arrested in connection with the case.

In the aftermath, Brazil's National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) ordered Discord to suspend livestream services on August 12. First Lady Rosangela Lula da Silva additionally called on the site to be taken down.

Notably, the messaging platform, which hosts regarding 90 million active daily users, stated that it would stop streaming services and take steps "to make Discord safer for teens".

For context, the ANPD additionally fined TikTok $30m on Tuesday for child privacy violations, an indicator of the more aggressive approach the Brazilian administration has taken on such problems.

For now, brazil sues chat platform Discord over failure to protect child users remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.