(WAVY) — There’s an increase in violent online groups using the app Discord to contact children and persuade them to harm themselves or others, the problem now catching the attention of Virginia Sen. Mark Warner.
“My daughter used it for chats,” said one Virginia mother who asked to remain anonymous. “That was her main use for Discord — a lot of boys use it for gaming.”
The app sounds harmless, but sometimes the exact opposite of that is taking place on Discord
“Discord is just a cesspool,” the mother said. “You can go into the darkest places there.”
Violent predatory groups are targeting children and pressuring them to commit acts of self-harm. It happened to the daughter of the woman 10 On Your Side spoke to.
“It went from she’s a happy middle schooler, to two suicide attempts in just no time,” the woman said.
Thankfully, first responders were able to intervene in time to save her daughter, but she fears others may not be so lucky and wants more to be done. She’s not alone in this either.
Warner wrote a letter to Discord’s CEO, saying in part:
“I urge you to devote more resources to this problem,” Warner said, “including dedicating a greater number of content moderators, investigators, engineers and legal professionals to it. …”
“I’m so grateful to Sen. Warner’s office,” the woman said. “They’ve listened and he’s taking this very seriously.”
She urges all parents and users to do the same. To read Warner’s full letter, see below:
Just this month, the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act to protect children on social media, but with ongoing pushback from the tech industry and freedom of speech organizations, the legislation faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives.