Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Monday that the state has filed a lawsuit against Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc., accusing the companies of putting profits ahead of the safety of children in Arkansas.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County, California, includes claims under Arkansas Public Nuisance Law, violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, false representation regarding product characteristics under the same act, and unjust enrichment.
“We are seeking a number of remedies, including damages, penalties, and also injunctive relief. This is just the beginning,” Griffin said during a news conference.
According to the attorney general’s office, Roblox has 144 million daily active users, with roughly 40% of them under the age of 13. Griffin said Discord has 200 million monthly active users, and the average user is 16 years old. He also noted that both platforms are among the most frequently cited in federal child exploitation cases.
In a news release, Griffin said:
“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.”
40/29 News contacted Roblox for a response. In an emailed statement, a Roblox spokesperson said in part:
“Roblox is deeply committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and age-appropriate environment for our community. We strongly dispute the claims in this lawsuit … It fundamentally misrepresents how our platform works and fails to recognize the extensive, proactive measures we are taking to set a new standard in online safety… When we identify violations of our rules we take swift action and work closely with law enforcement to help hold bad actors accountable,” a spokesperson wrote.
The station also reached out to Discord Inc. A company spokesperson issued the following statement:
“The lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety. Discord is a communications platform built to connect people around playing games. Users join Discord communities intentionally, based on their interests, and unlike social media, the platform has no algorithmic feed, infinite scroll, or public “likes” pushing content to mass audiences. Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity. We provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet.”