A 13-year-old girl in Brazil died by suicide during a 45-minute livestream on Discord, where she was encouraged to harm herself, authorities said [1]. Five teenagers have been arrested in connection with the case [2, 1, 3, 4].
Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) ordered Discord on August 12 to suspend its livestreaming feature in Brazil for three business days until safeguards to protect minors are implemented [1]. The Brazilian federal prosecutor's office also demanded stronger safety measures on the platform, especially for children and teenagers [2, 3, 4].
Discord said it is cooperating with Brazilian authorities and disabled a private server linked to encouraging self-harm before the girl’s death [2, 3, 4]. The platform has over 90 million daily active users worldwide [2, 3, 4].
Brazilian Justice Ministry’s Ciberlab unit coordinator Alessandro Barreto called the incident "a terrible failure in moderation" on Discord and described online grooming among minors as "truly outrageous acts being broadcast online." He said, "Girls are being enslaved online and coerced into committing truly barbaric acts" and noted a 14-year-old boy arrested was "smiling as if he had just beaten a level in a game" [1].
Brazil passed a law earlier in 2026 requiring platforms to verify user age and link accounts of users under 16 to their parents’ accounts [2, 3, 4]. The incident has raised concerns about Discord's ability to moderate content and protect minors effectively [2, 1].
Rosangela da Silva, wife of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said the judicial authorities would take down what she called the "terrible online platform" [2].
The five teenagers arrested face investigation for their roles in encouraging the girl’s suicide [2, 1, 3, 4]. Discord’s livestreaming features will remain suspended for three business days while it upgrades safety controls in Brazil [1].
