Discord will soon require users worldwide to verify their age before accessing adult content. Users must confirm their age with a face scan or upload an official ID document. The chat platform says it has more than 200 million monthly users.
Discord says the new safety system will place everyone into a teen-appropriate experience by default. The platform already requires age checks in the UK and Australia to comply with safety laws. Discord will expand the system globally from early March.
Savannah Badalich, Discord’s policy head, said teen safety remains a priority. She said teen-by-default settings will strengthen protections while allowing verified adults more flexibility.
New default settings will restrict content and communication
Discord says the default settings will restrict what users can see and how they can communicate. Only users who prove they are adults will access age-restricted communities and unblur sensitive material.
Users will also lose the ability to see direct messages from unknown users unless they complete age verification. Drew Benvie, head of social media consultancy Battenhall, said the move toward safer communities is positive. He warned that implementing the system could cause problems across millions of communities.
He said Discord could lose users if the rollout fails. He added that stronger safety standards could attract users who want safer platforms.
Discord will use inference tools to estimate age
Discord said it will use inference tools to identify users who are likely adults. Badalich said most adults will not need manual age verification. She said the system will use account tenure, device data, activity patterns, and aggregated community signals.
She said Discord will not analyze private messages or message content during the process.
Privacy risks and earlier data breach concerns
Users can upload an ID photo or record a video selfie for AI-based age estimation. Discord said it will not store information used for age checks. The company said it will not collect face scans and will delete ID uploads after verification.
Privacy campaigners warned that such methods can threaten personal privacy. Discord faced criticism in October after hackers potentially exposed ID photos of about 70,000 users. A third-party verification firm suffered the breach.
Market ambitions and wider industry pressure
The announcement followed reports in early January that Discord explored a public share offering. The company also launched a teen advisory council as part of its safety push.
Discord now follows platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Roblox with new teen safety measures. Benvie said other social networks will watch how users respond to Discord’s rollout.
Social platforms introduced many protections for teens due to pressure from lawmakers. Discord CEO Jason Citron faced intense questioning about child safety at a US Senate hearing in 2024, alongside leaders from Meta, Snap, and TikTok.
