Little Rock, Arkansas – Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc., accusing both companies of creating and maintaining online environments that exposed children to serious risks while misleading parents about safety protections.
The lawsuit claims the two platforms became central parts of a system that allowed predators to identify, contact, and exploit children online. According to Griffin, the companies were aware of the dangers but failed to make changes that could have better protected young users.
In announcing the legal action, Griffin delivered a sharp criticism of both companies.
“These companies didn’t stumble into a child safety problem. They engineered one. Roblox built a platform with no age verification, no meaningful parental consent, and an algorithm that routed children directly toward the spaces where predators were waiting. Discord built a platform that lets children override parental monitoring with a single tap and hands anonymous strangers direct access to kids. Both companies knew exactly what was happening on their platforms. Both companies chose profit over the safety of Arkansas children. Both companies told parents — repeatedly and falsely — that their platforms were safe. Roblox left the front door unlocked, and Discord handed predators a private room. Arkansas children paid the price. That stops now.”
The lawsuit was filed under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Arkansas public nuisance law, and common law unjust enrichment. The state is seeking court orders, monetary damages, and the recovery of profits it alleges were wrongfully earned from Arkansas consumers.
Allegations against Roblox
The complaint focuses heavily on Roblox, one of the most popular online gaming platforms in the world. According to the lawsuit, Roblox reports approximately 144 million daily active users, with around 40 percent of those users under the age of 13.
State officials argue that Roblox repeatedly promoted itself as a safe environment for children while allegedly failing to implement stronger protections that were already available to the company. The lawsuit claims Roblox possessed age-verification technology but chose not to fully use it. It also alleges the company rejected internal proposals that would have warned children about grooming behavior because doing so could reduce user engagement.
The state further argues that Roblox continued to expand while limiting spending on safety measures. According to the lawsuit, the platform paid more than $900 million annually to developers whose content allegedly included sexually explicit experiences available on the site.
The complaint points to reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Those reports documented 675 suspected incidents of child sexual exploitation in 2019. By 2023, the number had increased to more than 13,000, according to the filing.
Claims involving Discord
The lawsuit also targets Discord, a communications platform widely used by gamers and online communities. State officials note that Discord has more than 200 million monthly active users and an average user age of 16.
According to the complaint, Discord designed several features in ways that made it easier for children to communicate with strangers. The state alleges that the platform’s Family Center monitoring system gives children significant control over whether parental oversight is enabled. The lawsuit also claims Discord’s default settings allow adult users listed as friends to send content directly to younger users without screening.
The state further alleges that Discord publicly promoted strict safety standards while internal data showed rising child safety concerns. According to the lawsuit, Discord’s transparency reports recorded a 150 percent increase in child safety violations during a single quarter.
Alleged connection between the two platforms
A central argument in the case is the state’s claim that Roblox and Discord work together as what officials describe as a “two-stage predatory pipeline.”
According to the lawsuit, predators first make contact with children on Roblox by pretending to be young users and gaining trust. The complaint alleges those conversations are then moved to Discord, where predators may seek explicit images, engage in sextortion, or arrange in-person meetings.
The filing claims both companies knew about this pattern and continued increasing integration between their services. According to the lawsuit, Roblox allows Discord server links on game pages and permits Discord usernames in profiles, while Discord offers Roblox account linking. The state also points to company communications from 2017 that allegedly acknowledged concerns about connecting Roblox users to Discord before later allowing greater integration.
Griffin said Arkansas law enforcement officers deal with the consequences of these issues every day and praised those working to protect children.
“I want to thank the men and women in Arkansas law enforcement who are fighting on the front lines every day to protect children from the kinds of behavior Roblox and Discord have facilitated,” Griffin added. “And I especially thank the staff of my Consumer Protection Division for their work on this case.”
The lawsuit marks one of Arkansas’ most significant legal actions involving online child safety. The case will now move through the court system, where the allegations made by the state will be challenged and evaluated as the legal process continues.
