Ky. (WXIX) — The family of a Tri-State teen who died by suicide a week after her 13th birthday is fighting to keep a federal lawsuit against Roblox, Discord and TikTok in front of a jury, after the companies moved to send the case to arbitration instead of a public trial
Jaimee Seitz, mother of Audree Heine, said Audree signed up for Roblox at 8 years old using her school email address. Attorney Pat Huyett said that when Audree signed up for the platforms and accepted their terms and conditions, she unknowingly agreed not to sue the companies.
“Imagine an 8-year-old child supposedly agreeing to these massive contracts with all these buried terms in them. One of them says she has to give up her constitutional right to a jury if she ever sues these platforms,” Huyett said.
“She was fun, she was bright, she made everyone happy, she was always smiling, there was so much life in her,” Seitz said.
Seitz said Audree died by suicide in December 2024 after being pulled into an online group that glorifies mass shooters. Seitz said she learned about the group after reading a journal Audree hid in her locker.
“She was involved in an extremist group, and it was through these platforms how she found it. Ultimately it killed her,” Seitz said.
It has been nearly a year since Seitz sued Roblox, Discord and TikTok in federal court. All three companies are now fighting to move the case to arbitration instead of a public trial.
“There’s no jury. There’s one person, an arbitrator, who is chosen by the companies who force these cases into arbitration. Limited ability to obtain evidence to build the case,” Huyett said.
“I want to see it in front of a jury. I want to see change. I want to see children no longer getting hurt, getting groomed. It needs to have safety measures,” Seitz said.
Roblox, Discord and TikTok were contacted for comment.
Roblox provided the following information:
- Images and videos cannot be sent or received in Roblox chat.
- Age checks are required for all users to access chat features, limiting younger users to chatting with similarly aged users by default.
- Chat is disabled by default for users under 9.
- Users under 16 are assigned to account types that align their access to games and features with their age.
- Chat is not encrypted, meaning safety teams and law enforcement can obtain chat conversations.
- Roblox uses a combination of AI-powered detection, human moderation and filters designed to help prevent the exchange of personal information.
- The platform gives parents visibility and control over their child’s experience, including the ability to manage content settings, chat, screen-time, spend limits and review or update their child’s age. Parents can also see which games their child is spending time in and who their friends are.
- In June, the company introduced two age-based accounts for younger users: Roblox Kids for users ages 5 to 8, and Roblox Select for users ages 9 to 15. Users under 16 are assigned to account types based on age checks or through parental controls.
Discord did not comment on the lawsuit but provided a statement through a spokesperson about the platform’s safety measures and policies.
“Discord is deeply committed to user safety, and we want our communications platform to be the best place for friends to connect before, during and after playing games,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Discord’s terms require all users to be at least 13 years old, and that unlike social media platforms that use algorithms to select content and maximize engagement, Discord’s service strives to enable organic, real-time interaction and connection.
“We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies,” the spokesperson said. “We maintain strong systems intended to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.”
The spokesperson said the Discord Family Center empowers parents and guardians with tools to help their teen have a safer experience online while maintaining privacy.
TikTok has not responded to a request for comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night.
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