NORFOLK, Virginia – A Northern Virginia mother is calling for more protection for children online, including on the social media platform Discord, after her daughter used the site.

Discord allows users to participate in online conversations that are of interest to them. However, mother Leslie says her daughter has participated in disturbing chats.

“My daughter was encouraged to cut herself and take pictures of it. She was told it was beautiful,” said Leslie, who asked WTKR to protect her identity and use only her first name.

Leslie says her daughter was sent violent pornography through Discord and was in groups where she was told to take her own life.

Eventually it got so bad that she attempted suicide, but survived. It was her second attempt.

“She was very angry with us. She thought we were her enemies and these online chat groups were her friends. It was like she was brainwashed,” Leslie said.

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Her daughter is particularly at risk because the family includes military personnel, Leslie said.

“It takes them a while to find friends, so they are vulnerable to online criminal groups,” says Leslie.

These and similar stories have now caught the attention of Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia).

This week, he sent a letter to Discord’s CEO urging the company to devote more resources to preventing children from being targeted online.

Last year, the FBI issued a warning saying online groups were targeting minors to blackmail them into filming or livestreaming themselves hurting.

In a statement, a Discord spokesperson said, among other things: “These groups and actions are appalling. They have no place on Discord or in society at large. Discord was the first platform to proactively identify and report one of these groups to law enforcement, and we have not stopped fighting them and similar groups since.”

They also directed us to resources on their website dedicated to protecting teens and children, such as sensitive content filters that can be used to blur messages.

Leslie says her daughter is doing better now and is in college.

She hopes Congress will take further action and pass the Kids Online Safety Act, which would establish requirements to protect children online.

“These digital platforms need to be regulated. They need to be held accountable for what is on their platforms and children need to be protected,” she said.