Texas Takes On Discord: Court Forces Platform to Tighten Child Safety Rules

Discord is facing a court-ordered mandate after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the state secured a temporary injunction requiring the platform to activate stronger age-assurance measures and default safety protections for Texas users.

The order requires Discord to roll out the safeguards within 90 days, including protections already available to users in the U.K., according to a release from Paxton’s office. The company must also provide the Texas Attorney General’s Office with progress updates every 30 days as the case moves toward trial.

The injunction follows a lawsuit filed by Texas in May accusing Discord of failing to adequately protect children from online predators and misleading families about its safety practices. The state argued that minors in Texas could create accounts with little more than an email address and self-reported birthday, allowing adults to contact children through friend requests and private messages.

Texas investigators said they tested the platform by creating an account posing as a 13-year-old girl. According to the attorney general’s office, the account received a message from a stranger within moments, followed by a solicitation for explicit sexual activity within 30 seconds.

The state also cited Discord’s reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, saying the company submitted 489,782 reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025.

Court Order Forces Discord To Expand Safety Controls

Under the injunction, Discord must route messages from unknown users into a separate request inbox, restrict sensitive content for Texas teens by default unless adulthood is confirmed, and block access to adult-only spaces unless users complete age assurance.

Texas said the requirements rely on Discord’s existing age-verification system in Great Britain, where more than 90% of users are never prompted for additional confirmation. The state said facial age estimation runs directly on a user’s device, while identity documents are handled by third-party vendors.

The lawsuit also references broader allegations that Discord failed to address risks involving sexual exploitation, extremist communities and harmful content. The attorney general’s office cited several cases involving alleged child grooming, exploitation and online abuse, including a child allegedly targeted by the extremist network known as "764."

"Discord built a platform where adult predators could hunt Texas children, then looked parents in the eye and told them it was safe," Paxton said. "That ends now."

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties under Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which can reach $10,000 per violation, along with potential restitution, attorney’s fees and court costs.

Discord Pushes Back

Discord has pushed back against Texas’ claims, saying the lawsuit mischaracterizes its platform and safety efforts.

“Discord is focused on building a safer experience for teens, and we’ve agreed with the Attorney General’s office on steps that support that goal. We believe it’s possible to improve safety for teens on Discord without compromising our users’ privacy, and will be providing teen accounts to Discord’s younger users in Texas consistent with our approach. We look forward to engaging with policymakers to advance a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet,” a Discord spokesperson told Benzinga.

The case now moves toward trial, where Texas plans to pursue additional penalties and argue that Discord violated consumer protection laws by allegedly failing to follow through on safety promises made to families.

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