Parent in California Attributes Son's Suicide to Substandard Conduct at Discord and Roblox
In a tragic turn of events, a California mother, Rebecca Dallas, has filed a lawsuit against the gaming platforms Roblox and Discord. The lawsuit stems from the death of her 15-year-old son, Ethan Dallas, who took his own life after being groomed and coerced into sending explicit images by an online predator.
Ethan Dallas, a bright, imaginative boy who loved gaming, streaming, and interacting with friends online, was targeted by an adult sex predator on Roblox when he was just 12 years old. The predator encouraged Ethan to deactivate the parental controls on his account and take their discussion to Discord, where the abuse escalated.
At the time of Ethan's death, Roblox and Discord, together used by hundreds of millions of people, imposed no age-related restrictions. Despite this, Discord maintains strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on their platform. They use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates their policies.
The man who allegedly groomed Ethan Dallas was arrested in Florida "for sexually exploiting other children through Defendants' apps." However, the lawsuit does not mention any specific actions taken by Roblox in response to the lawsuit.
The spokesperson for Discord did not comment on the pending litigation, but the company did state that they are "deeply committed to safety." Discord also works with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, states that had Roblox and Discord taken steps to ensure the safety of its users, then Ethan Dallas never would have interacted with the predator and would not have suffered harm or died by suicide. Roblox's current default settings prohibit communications between minors and adults, but children can still easily enter a fake birth date to bypass this restriction.
Ethan Dallas started using Roblox around the age of 9, with his parents' permission and with parental controls on his account. Discord requires all users to be at least 13 to use their platform. The lawsuit seeks damages for the emotional distress and loss suffered by Rebecca Dallas and her family.
This tragic case highlights the importance of online safety and the need for gaming platforms to take stronger measures to protect their young users from predators. It serves as a reminder that while the internet offers countless opportunities for connection and entertainment, it also poses significant risks that must be addressed.
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