VIRGINIA — Sen. Mark Warner requests answers from Discord, an instant messaging and social platform, in a letter Monday on why the company has failed to protect children from online predators who encourage them to end their lives.
This action from Warner was sparked by the FBI’s warning last year to U.S. citizens informing them of “violent online groups” victimizing minors from the ages of eight to 17-years-old.
This victimization includes forcing minors to produce sexual and self-harm content, according to the United States Senate.
Watch: Parents and experts warn of online gaming dangers
“I am extremely concerned about this abuse, and I am profoundly saddened that it has affected Virginia families, including the daughter of a military family who was coerced into self-harm and to attempt suicide,” said Senator Warner in the letter.
A local Virginia teenager, Abrielle, explained her experience with these “predatory groups” she encountered on Discord.
“As a teenager, I fell victim to the cruel manipulation of violent predatory groups on Discord. During a period in my life where I struggled with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, they took advantage of my feelings of isolation, and encouraged me to self-harm and even end my life,” Abrielle said.
Warner is calling the company to expand its efforts in protecting children from these predators and asks questions on how it is going to accomplish that goal.
Watch: America 'may be more vulnerable' to disinformation than in 2020 : Sen. Warner
“I urge you to devote more resources to this problem, including dedicating a greater number of content moderators, investigators, engineers, and legal professionals to it. It is my understanding that Discord currently enforces its policies through actions like suspending policy-violating users’ accounts and servers, as well as banning their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and email addresses” Warner said.
Warner's takes on the issue aligns with the advice given by the Biden-Harris's administration on how to promote the protection of children online like Abrielle.
To learn what else Senator Warner said in his letter, click here.
