The recent suicide of a 15-year-old boy in California is shining a light on the dangers of online platforms that attract kids and teens without enough parental oversight. What are these platforms, and how are parents fighting back?
A Tragic Story Starts With a Roblox Account
Before he turned ten, Ethan Dallas was already on Roblox. Roblox is an online platform where users can play games and interact with one another. It has roughly 111 million active users per day, many of whom are kids and teens.
Dallas’s parents allowed him to sign up for the platform when he was 9, although the platform has no age minimum or age verification system, according to reporting by NBC News. His parents believed the platform was safe for young users due to its marketing and set of parental controls.
Dallas used Roblox for years before his parents knew what was actually happening on the site.
Now, they say they realize Dallas had been approached by an adult who posed as a kid. The man made contact with Dallas and started off with innocent conversations. Then, the man told Dallas how to change parental controls settings and suggested moving the conversation to Discord. Discord is a communication platform that is commonly used by gamers. Like Roblox, it does not verify the age of its users.
Then, the conversation escalated. The man demanded explicit photos from Dallas and then said he would share them. Dallas’s parents noticed a change in his behavior due to the incidents, but their intervention failed. Dallas took his own life at the age of 15.
Now, the Dallas family is suing both Roblox and Discord for failing to protect their child on their platforms.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Roblox and Discord
Dallas’s mother, Rebecca, filed a lawsuit against Roblox and Discord in San Francisco County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses Roblox and Discord of wrongful death, fraudulent concealment and misrepresentations, negligent misrepresentation, and strict liability.
Rebecca Dallas says her son was groomed and coerced to send explicit images, and Roblox and Discord are at fault because of “recklessly and deceptively operating their business in a way that led to the sexual exploitation and suicide.”
The lawsuit points to the ease with which Ethan Dallas was able to turn off parental controls and create an account on Discord without parental permission. It also claims that the two platforms misrepresent their safety and create environments that make “children easy prey for pedophiles.”
Sadly, this is not the first case of predators using Roblox and Discord to find young victims.
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A Pattern of Abuse on Roblox and Discord
In 2023, NBC News shared a report that showed 35 cases over a six year period in which adults were prosecuted on charges of kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault that allegedly involved communications on Discord.
Another investigation has led Dallas’s family to believe the man Ethan met online was Timothy O’Connor, a 37-year-old man living in Florida. Per the New York Times, O’Connor was arrested on separate charges of possessing child pornography and transmitting harmful material to minors.
One young Roblox user even went as far as using his account to attempt to expose predators on the site. NBC Chicago reported that the user, known as “Schlep,” helped lead law enforcement to six individuals who were said to be grooming children on the platform.
A law firm in Chicago says it now has 500 clients with stories where they encountered predatory behavior on Roblox.
Florida law enforcement is taking the issue seriously. On April 16, 2025, James Uthmeier, Florida’s Attorney General, issued a statement revealing that the state had subpoenaed Roblox in an effort to get information about how the “platform markets to children, sets age-verification requirements, and moderates chat rooms.”
“There are concerning reports that this gaming platform, which is popular among children, is exposing them to harmful content and bad actors,” Uthmeier said. The press release references “numerous reports about children being exposed to graphic or harmful material on the gaming platform, as well as predatory adults being able to message minors on the app freely.”
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What To Do If Your Family Is Harmed
Roblox has millions of users under the age of 13. Many families believe that it is a safe platform for their children. To protect your family, the first step is reviewing your child’s account, monitoring your child’s use, and potentially canceling their account.
If you find your child has been harmed by their experience on Discord or Roblox, talk to an attorney right away.
Personal injury attorney, TJ Grimaldi is here to help. Contact our office to schedule your free consultation to discuss your case and see how you can hold companies accountable for creating harmful environments for children and failing to protect them. Call 813-226-1023 or contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
