Brazil demands safety controls on Discord after livestreamed suicide

RIO DE JANEIRO – The Brazilian authorities are calling on US-based messaging platform Discord, popular among teens, to take action after a suicide case sparked outcry and the first lady called for its shutdown.

Investigators say a 13-year-old girl was encouraged to self-harm and take her own life during a Discord livestream, and five teenagers have been arrested in connection to the death.

The office of the Attorney General of the Union (AGU), a public body that defends the legal interests of the Brazilian state, told AFP on Aug 11 it requested and has received a proposal from Discord to “adopt measures aimed at strengthening the safety of its users, particularly children and adolescents”.

In a statement sent to AFP, Discord said it was “cooperating with authorities in the investigation into this serious case”.

Discord said it had additionally “deactivated, before the teenager’s death”, a “private server” suspected of being used by “individuals involved in criminal activities encouraging self-harm”.

The AGU has demanded concrete measures, like age verification of users.

In Brazil, a law that came into effect earlier in 2026 obliges platforms to link the accounts of users under age 16 to their parents’ accounts, and requires platforms to verify user age.

Following the recent death, Rosangela da Silva, wife of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called for Discord to be shut down and urged “the judiciary to remove this horrible network from the Internet”.

Discord claims more than 90 million active daily users worldwide.

In 2024, the social media platform X was blocked for 40 days in Brazil, until the social media network owned by the world’s richest man Elon Musk complied with the Supreme Court’s orders to remove accounts spreading disinformation. AFP