Shocking Case: U.S. Mother Sues Roblox, Discord After Ethan Dallas’ Suicide
Casal dels Infants – Ethan Dallas died by suicide in April 2024, after allegedly becoming a victim of a sexual predator through Roblox and Discord. Now, the two major technology companies face a lawsuit filed by his mother in California, who accuses them of failing to protect children from such dangers.
According to NBC News, Rebecca Dallas, Ethan’s mother, filed the lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court on September 13. She accused Roblox and Discord of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation.
The lawsuit stated that both companies operated negligently and deceptively. This negligence, it claimed, led to sexual exploitation and ultimately to Ethan’s death.
According to the family’s attorney, Ethan began playing Roblox at the age of 9 with parental consent and parental controls activated. However, at the age of 12, he was allegedly approached by a sexual predator pretending to be a child on Roblox.
What started as ordinary conversations gradually shifted toward sexual topics. The perpetrator then persuaded Ethan to disable parental controls and continue their communication on Discord.
On Discord, the pressure intensified. The predator forced Ethan Dallas to send explicit photos and videos, including threats to spread them. Out of fear, Ethan complied.
“Tragically, Ethan was haunted by this experience until he ultimately took his own life,” the lawsuit read.
The lawsuit accused both platforms of negligence, fraud, and misrepresentation. It argued that if Roblox and Discord had implemented age verification, identity screening, and stricter protections, Ethan would never have interacted with the predator.
Rebecca Dallas said she initially believed the platforms were safe, especially since Roblox is often marketed as child-friendly and equipped with parental controls. In reality, children could still create accounts using false birth dates, giving them full access to communication features.
Roblox offered condolences over the tragedy. “We are always working to maintain the highest safety standards,” a Roblox spokesperson said.
The company claimed it had added more than 100 new safety features this year, including suspicious behavior detection, 24/7 human moderation, and collaboration with law enforcement and child protection organizations.
Discord also emphasized its commitment to safety, stating that all users must be at least 13 years old. “We require all users to be at least 13 years old. We use advanced technology and dedicated teams to remove violating content,” a Discord spokesperson said.
However, court data indicated that Discord was “flooded with explicit content,” including child sexual abuse material. The report also described its monitoring system as weak.
Law firm Anapol Weiss, representing the Dallas family, stated that this was the ninth lawsuit of its kind. The case involves children allegedly exploited through Roblox or Discord. NBC News reported at least 35 cases in the past six years in which predators used Discord to lure children. Last year, the Attorney General of Louisiana also sued Roblox, accusing it of failing to protect children. The lawsuit described the platform as a “perfect hunting ground” for predators.
“This case shows how dangerous it is when billion-dollar platforms deliberately create environments that allow predators to prey on vulnerable children,” said family attorney Alexandra Walsh.
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This information is sourced from CNBCIndonesia. Ethan Dallas died by suicide in April 2024, after allegedly becoming a victim of a sexual predator through Roblox and Discord. Read the full article on CasaldelsInfants.
|Author: Lukman Azhari
|Editor: Anna Hidayat
