Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Ohio’s Statewide Terrorism Analysis Center (STACC), have issued memos warning that Discord is being used to radicalize American youth — including minors as young as 15.

Despite this, Discord continues to operate with minimal transparency and weak safeguards. Violent extremist content has been found on servers linked to ISIS and neo-Nazi groups. Mass shooters have posted attack plans. And now, Discord is under scrutiny after reports that the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk used the platform to communicate with others shortly after the crime.

This isn’t just one case — it’s a pattern.

In recent years:

• Multiple U.S. mass shooters allegedly used Discord to share plans, threats, and extremist content
• DHS and FBI intelligence assessments confirm the platform is used to recruit minors
• Discord has faced lawsuits for failing to stop child predators and violent content.
   

We call on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice to:

• Launch a formal civil and criminal investigation into Discord’s platform safety, content moderation, and response to law enforcement
• Require a full public audit of how extremist content and minors interact on Discord
• Consider regulatory actions, penalties, or platform oversight if Discord is found to have enabled preventable harm
   

Discord has said it uses a combination of reactive and proactive tools to monitor threats. But the evidence — and the lives already lost — show that whatever it’s doing, it’s not enough.

Platforms that are widely used by minors cannot also be safe havens for extremists, predators, or violent ideologies.