Roblox, Discord face lawsuit over alleged child sexploitation of Snohomish County teen

A Snohomish County family has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation and Discord, Inc., accusing the popular online platforms of enabling the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl.

Filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the complaint from Dolman Law Group alleges the tech companies created “breeding grounds for predators” and prioritized profit over child safety. The suit was filed on behalf of a now 14-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe, and her father.

Suit alleges platforms enabled grooming of teen

According to the complaint, the girl was an active user of both Roblox and Discord when she was allegedly groomed by a man posing as another child. The lawsuit claims the predator first contacted her through Roblox before encouraging her to continue conversations on Discord, where he allegedly coerced her into sending explicit images of herself.

“This case against Roblox is a terrifying reminder of the world we live in, where capitalist greed far outweighs humanity,” said Matthew Dolman, principal attorney for Dolman Law Group. “Without forcing systemic change, Roblox will continue to operate anarchically.”

The lawsuit further claims Roblox and Discord misled parents into believing their platforms were safe for children, while their design and moderation practices made minors “easy and accessible prey.” Dolman Law Group said its investigation found Roblox experiences referencing disturbing themes, including ones titled “JeffEpsteinSupporter” and “Escape to Epstein Island.”

The complaint seeks unspecified damages, alleging the teen continues to suffer from anxiety, shame, and loss of safety following the alleged exploitation.

While Roblox and Discord have not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit, on its website, Roblox provides guidance for users, including information on parental controls, moderation, and safety. The company also provides a parent’s guide, detailing civility and well-being for users.

Discord also provides safety and privacy guidance for users and parents on its website.

The suit was filed in the Northern District of California, where Roblox and Discord are headquartered.

In a statement, a Discord spokesperson said, “Discord is deeply committed to safety, and we require all users to be at least 13 to use our platform. We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies. We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.”

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