After filing for IPO and planning to go public as a company, Discord is now taking some strict measures to make the platform safer for underage users. The social media and communication platform will now incorporate a “Teen-by-Default” setting globally. So moving forward, if you want access to certain channels, settings, or servers that feature “age-restricted content,” you’ll need to show some ID or complete a facial age estimation process.
Here’s how Discord is planning to implement this change in the coming weeks:
“As part of this update, all new and existing users worldwide will have a teen-appropriate experience by default, with updated communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces, and content filtering that preserves the privacy and meaningful connections that define Discord.
“Beginning with a phased global rollout to new and existing users in early March, users may be required to engage in an age-verification process to change certain settings or access sensitive content. This includes age-restricted channels, servers, or commands and select message requests.”
A Well-Intentioned Change, But There Are Concerns
Here are some key privacy protections that Discord will be able to implement as part of its new age-assurance policies:
- On-device processing: Video selfies for facial age estimation never leave a user’s device.
- Quick deletion: Identity documents submitted to our vendor partners are deleted quickly— in most cases, immediately after age confirmation.
- Straightforward verification: In most cases, users complete the process once, and their Discord experience adapts to their verified age group. Users may be asked to use multiple methods only when more information is needed to assign an age group.
- Private status: A user’s age verification status cannot be seen by other users.
Note how strongly the company is stressing that any information they receive for age verification purposes will not be compromised. There’s so much emphasis on this aspect because, back in October 2025, ID photos of 70,000 users were leaked, according to the BBC.
As long as Discord handles this massive amount of new data carefully and securely, things should turn out all right. At the end of the day, this is a change that will make the experience much safer for young users. We just hope it doesn’t result in needless censorship.
