Update February 11, 2026: Discord has provided an update via X with more information about its new "Teen-by-Default" stance. All users will not be required to submit age verification, as Discord's monitoring system can already determine "with high confidence" who is an adult. This post received a Community Note reminding users of the 2025 data breach containing thousands of government IDs.
Discord has long been one of the largest and most popular platforms for keeping in contact with your gaming group, but its popularity was dealt a massive blow on February 9 when the company announced it would be rolling out age verification measures globally and for all users.
Since the news broke, there's been plenty of noise online. Discord users are not happy with the proposed change that treats everyone like a child, and they're less impressed with the fact that you need to hand over sensitive data in order to once again be treated like an adult on the platform.
Discord users aren't just expressing their frustration online; they're also searching for an escape hatch. Over the last 48 hours, searches for "Discord alternatives" in the US have jumped by roughly 10,000% compared to the average from the past month.
Searches for "Delete Discord" have also doubled month over month, while the names of top Discord alternatives have also seen a meteoric rise.
Stoat, which is the new name for Revolt, has seen the biggest search gains in the past 48 hours, jumping about 9,900% with another 4,100% for the old Revolt name. Stoat is an open-source chat platform that focuses on privacy, which is something that's quickly disappearing in Discord.
Matrix has also seen a significant 2,133% rise in search volume, with IRC gaining 1,500% and Mumble gaining 1,000%.
Discord's controversial "Teen-by-Default" stance and age verification
Beginning in March 2026, Discord will automatically assume that all users, regardless of account age or any communities to which you're already a member, are teenagers over the age of 13 but under the age of 18.
Once your account is automatically switched over to the "Teen-by-Default" setting, you'll no longer be able to access age-restricted channels, unblur sensitive content, or receive messages from anyone other than friends.
If you, like me, are an adult who uses Discord, you'll have to prove your age with a facial scan or by providing a government ID. As I noted in my coverage of the original Discord "Teen-by-Default" announcement, handing over sensitive information to a company that just last year was involved in a massive data breach isn't something I'm comfortable with.
It certainly appears that I'm not alone in that sentiment, and Discord could be in big trouble when it enables age verification, tested in the UK and Australia, for all users around the world.
(via SupportMy.website)
Are you also searching for an alternative to Discord? Where do you think you'll end up? Let me know in the comments section!
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