The recent lawsuits cite specific examples of children that were harmed. The Attorney General’s office accuses Snapchat, Roblox & Discord for not protecting young users.
Some big tech companies are the target are accused of exploiting children – with some examples in Arkansas and even Saline County – in two lawsuits by the Arkansas Attorney General’s office.
The lawsuits against Snap Inc., Roblox and Discord, allege that the platforms intentionally use addictive features that endanger minors. The state claims the companies prioritize profits over user safety, fueling a youth mental health crisis and enabling online child exploitation. Read more below.
Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc. on June 23, arguing that Snapchat operates as a digital drug dealer that targets pre-teens and teenagers. The complaint highlights features like disappearing messages, Snapstreaks and the My AI chatbot, which the state says create dangerous dopamine feedback loops. According to the lawsuit, these design choices expose children to sextortion, violent content and predatory grooming.
On June 11th, the attorney general sued Roblox and Discord, accusing the platforms of functioning as a two-stage pipeline for sexual predators. Griffin stated that Roblox operates without meaningful age verification, allowing adults to easily pose as children and groom young users. Predators then allegedly move the children to Discord, where they use unmonitored direct messages to solicit explicit images and arrange in-person meetings.
ALLEGED WRONGDOING
Both lawsuits – one for Snapchat and one for Roblox and Discord – cite numerous specific examples of wrongdoing, including individual cases of child exploitation and tragic accidents, some of which occurred directly in Arkansas.
Snapchat Lawsuit: The complaint against Snap Inc. details several examples of harm resulting from the platform’s features:
Child Exploitation in Arkansas:
In 2023, a child predator used Snapchat to track a minor in Texarkana, Arkansas, enticing her to provide sexually explicit content in exchange for a vape left in her mailbox. The man was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In a separate 2024 case, an Arkansas female child was allegedly groomed by a Johnson County Chief Deputy who sent her “inappropriate Snapchats.”
Fatal Car Accidents:
The lawsuit cites fatal vehicle accidents involving teenagers and young adults who used Snapchat’s former “speed filter.” This feature became a viral game that encouraged users to capture photos or videos of themselves driving at extreme speeds, sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour.
Financial Sextortion:
The state points to a rapid increase in financial sextortion, noting that Snapchat is the preferred app for cybercriminal groups like the “Yahoo Boys.” These groups use the platform’s disappearing messages and false sense of security to coerce minors into sharing explicit photos and then extort them for ransom.
Roblox and Discord Lawsuit: The joint lawsuit against Roblox and Discord highlights how the two platforms allegedly function as a “two-stage predatory pipeline,” citing multiple specific instances:
Child Exploitation in Arkansas:
In December 2025, the family of an 11-year-old Lonoke County, Arkansas, boy sued after the child was groomed by an adult predator posing as a peer on Roblox. The predator moved the conversation to another platform to coerce the child into producing sexually explicit images.
Additionally, in July 2025, four child predators were arrested across Saline, Pulaski, Sebastian, and Marion counties, prompting the Commander of the Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to publicly warn parents about the dangers of Roblox.
National Exploitation Cases:
The lawsuit lists severe national examples, including a 2018 case where a 9-year-old girl was coerced through Roblox to film sexually abusive acts on her 4-year-old brother.
In a 2020 incident, a 47-year-old man used Roblox to pose as a teenager to groom, traffic across state lines, and rape a 16-year-old girl.
In 2022, a Florida man posed as a teen girl on Roblox to meet a 13-year-old boy, later moving him to Discord to coerce explicit images in exchange for Robux, the game’s virtual currency.
Most recently, in 2025, a Louisiana man was federally charged for using both platforms to coerce a teenage girl into sending sexually explicit images.
SEEKING RELIEF
The state filed both legal actions under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuits accuse the tech companies of creating a public nuisance and unjust enrichment. Arkansas seeks injunctive relief, civil penalties, damages and the return of wrongful profits derived from the platforms.
The lawsuits against Snap, Roblox, and Discord seek a variety of remedies under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Arkansas’s public nuisance law, and common law unjust enrichment.
Specifically, the State of Arkansas is requesting the following relief across the complaints:
Declaratory and Injunctive Relief:
The state seeks court declarations that the companies’ conduct violates the law and constitutes a public nuisance. It also requests injunctions to force the companies to abate the public nuisance, stop their deceptive trade practices, and prevent further actions that cause harm.
Monetary Damages and Penalties:
The lawsuits seek actual, compensatory, and maximum statutory damages. This includes civil penalties of $10,000 for each individual violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Disgorgement and Restitution:
The state is asking the courts to order the companies to forfeit, disgorge, and pay restitution for all wrongful profits derived from their unfair practices and unjust enrichment at the expense of Arkansas consumers.
Equitable Relief for Prevention and Treatment:
Arkansas seeks equitable relief to fund prevention education and treatment programs addressing online exploitation and the problematic or excessive use of social media and gaming platforms.
Legal Costs:
The state requests the awarding of reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, and both pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
MySaline will update this article with any new information.
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