Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has ordered the social media app Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature nationwide. The regulator cited the platform's alleged failure to protect minors from content promoting violence, self-harm, and suicide, a decision prompted by the death of a 13-year-old girl.

The ANPD issued the order on Wednesday, giving Discord three business days to suspend its "Go Live" feature and similar video-sharing tools. While the app itself will remain accessible, these live broadcasting functions will be unavailable until the company demonstrates it has implemented adequate safeguards for underage users. The agency stated it found "robust evidence" that Discord did not take reasonable measures to prevent minors from encountering harmful content.

The directive follows the tragic death of a 13-year-old girl in central-western Brazil last month. Authorities reported that during a 45-minute livestream on Discord, she was allegedly encouraged to harm herself and ultimately commit suicide. In connection with this case, five teenagers have been arrested. A police operation also reportedly saved another girl who was preparing to commit suicide live online.

Alessandro Barreto, coordinator of the Brazilian Justice Ministry’s Ciberlab intelligence unit, characterized the incident as a "terrible failure in moderation" by Discord. He described the livestreamed events as "truly outrageous acts being broadcast online." Barreto highlighted a disturbing trend where minors are allegedly grooming other minors to engage in violent or harmful acts, noting that girls are reportedly being "enslaved online and coerced into committing truly barbaric acts."

Barreto recounted that one of the arrested teenagers, a 14-year-old boy, appeared unfazed, "smiling as if he had just beaten a level in a game." He also mentioned that the parents of most detained teenagers were reportedly unaware of their children's involvement. The severity of the situation led Rosangela da Silva, the wife of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to publicly call for Discord's shutdown and urge the judiciary to remove the platform from the internet.

Discord, which boasts over 90 million daily active users globally, faces increasing scrutiny over its content moderation practices. The ANPD's concerns extend beyond this specific case, indicating that the platform's livestreams have been repeatedly linked to serious criminal activities and pose risks to the physical and psychological well-being of young users.

This action against Discord is part of a broader trend in Brazil where authorities are intensifying their oversight of social media platforms. Previously, a judge in Brazil ordered Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) to obey a ban or face daily fines, reflecting a growing regulatory push to hold tech companies accountable for the content shared on their services and to enhance protections for vulnerable users, particularly minors.

Questions remain about the specific technical and policy changes Discord must implement to satisfy the ANPD's requirements and reinstate its livestreaming features in Brazil. The outcome will likely influence how other platforms approach content moderation and child safety measures within the country.