"Eugh," we said, back in 2025 when Discord began "an experiment" in which some users were asked to scan their faces or IDs in order to verify that they were old enough to access sensitive content. But experiments, generally speaking, are tests, and tests, generally speaking, are something you do in pursuit of a particular goal, and now here we are not quite a year later and Discord is preparing to roll out face scanning and ID checks for everyone, everywhere, all the time.
You'll still be able to use Discord if you opt not to participate in this particular surveillance nightmare, but beginning in early March you'll be locked into a "teen-appropriate experience" if you don't. That means content filters, age gates, the inability to speak in "stage channels"—essentially channels that enable a group of people to converse while an audience listens—and restrictions on direct message and friend requests.
