Discord: report revealed how lives on the platform were used to involve teenagers in extreme violence; remember

Perverse challenges: how the Discord app became a tool to involve teenagers in an underworld of extreme violence Last week, the case of a 13-year-old teenager who was allegedly induced by other users to take her own life during a broadcast on Discord brought to light again the risks faced by children and teenagers within the platform. The episode generated a strong repercussion, mobilized authorities, such as First Lady Janja, and intensified the debate about the responsibility of companies in protecting minors in the digital environment. The situation led the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) to order the suspension of Discord live broadcasts in Brazil. The decision, announced this Wednesday (12), applies only to the lives tool and will remain in force until the company proves the adoption of effective mechanisms to protect children and adolescents. The alerts, however, are not recent. In 2023, a report by Fantástico had already revealed how Discord servers were used to expose minors to violent and criminal content, including challenges that encouraged self-mutilation, cruelty against animals and other extreme practices broadcast live. See the full report in the video above. Experts give tips on how parents can deal with the use of applications and talk to their teenagers Perverse challenges At the time, activists who monitor social networks reported having found communities in which teenagers were encouraged to commit extreme acts in front of cameras. The report showed that the transmissions took place in real time and were often not registered within the platform itself, making monitoring and producing evidence difficult. Photos and videos of people injuring themselves with blades were one of the materials received by the team. In Brazil, encouraging self-harm is a crime, but it is on Discord. In real time, criminals challenge someone to commit violence against themselves or animals, a form of “cruel fun”. In September 2022, in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, a 13-year-old girl, wearing a skull mask, tries to suffocate a neighborhood cat and put a knife inside it. The case was reported to a veterinarian and animal rights activist. “She set fire to a piece of paper and set it on the kitten,” says Daniela Souza, veterinarian. The whole house caught fire. The girl herself registered the presence of the firefighters, and, in one post, said: "I set the house on fire. Damn." Sixteen thousand people were part of the community where the scene was broadcast. In another video, with a blade, another young woman writes the name of the server. During these interactions - which become sessions of psychological torture - the attackers feel protected by anonymity and become increasingly cruel. And what leads people so young to commit such violent acts? "Based on the smartphone input variable, we already have research that shows that these devices have affected adolescence. As if you took it and told children: 'Look, we discovered fire. Play with fire.' Fire is wonderful, but you have to teach how to use it so you don't get burned. We put the fire in the hands of children and we are seeing the results", highlights Vera Iaconelli, psychoanalyst. The increase in violence is also noticed by Safernet, a civil association that receives reports of human rights violations on the internet in Brazil. "We have seen an increase, not only in the number of reports of violence, of extremist content on the internet, but also an increase in the level of cruelty and sadism, often, of this content. The supervision, or let's say the control of this, is very precarious", says Thiago Tavares, president of SaferNet Brasil. Lawless network: on Discord, criminals rape and humiliate underage girls Fantastic Recent cases rekindle debate The topic has gained repercussion again in recent days after the publication of the case of a 13-year-old teenager who was allegedly induced by other users to take her own life during a broadcast on the platform. The episode provoked a strong reaction from authorities and increased pressure for protection measures for children and teenagers in the digital environment. Last week, First Lady Janja da Silva publicly defended the immediate removal of Discord when commenting on the case. The statement expanded the debate about the responsibility of digital platforms and the need for more efficient age control and verification mechanisms. Brazilian. by Fantástico years ago. What in 2023 was presented as a warning about the risks hidden in private servers has now become the target of inspection by Brazilian authorities, given the increase in complaints and growing concern about the safety of teenagers on digital platforms.