Brazil urges Discord to tighten child safety after teen suicide livestream

Brazilian officials have pressed the US-based messaging service Discord to strengthen protections for children after a 13-year-old girl committed suicide while streaming on the app. The Attorney General of the Union reported that it has obtained a proposal from Discord outlining safety enhancements and is demanding specific actions, including verification of users’ ages. In the wake of the tragedy, five teenagers were taken into custody for their alleged role in encouraging the self-harm.

Rosangela da Silva, the president’s spouse, called for the platform’s shutdown and urged the judiciary to act. Discord stated it is cooperating with investigators and had already deactivated a private server suspected of being used for criminal encouragement of self-harm before the fatal incident. The request comes as Brazil enforces a new law requiring platforms to link accounts of users under 16 to parental accounts.