First Lady Janja Calls for Discord Ban Following Teen Suicide

Brazil's first lady, Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, has reiterated her call for the Discord platform to be banned from the country. Speaking alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, she stated that the platform does not respect the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) and that a ban is necessary to guarantee the safety of women and children. The calls for a ban follow the suicide of a 13 year old girl who was allegedly induced to take her own life by other users in an online group. The National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has opened an investigation to determine if Discord failed to implement legal measures to prevent the exposure of minors to content that encourages self harm or suicide. Additionally, the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, indicated he would pursue a public action to remove the platform from Brazil due to a lack of commitment to national legislation. In response, Discord stated it will present a plan to expand protections for users under 18, including improved age verification and risk prevention mechanisms.