In case you've missed it, Discord recently made it clear that it will stick with plans to enforce global age verification on its users, but the rollout has been delayed until the second half of 2026.
Unsurprisingly, it has left users on the social platform frustrated, as the threat of losing some privileges on the app looms, and most importantly, privacy remains a major concern for both those who participate in verification or not. It's exactly why we've seen a sudden spike in users fleeing to Discord alternatives such as Stoat or Valour Software.
Frankly, I doubt most users truly want to leave the platform, considering how popular it is and how accustomed many are to using it. However, the global age verification delay may not work in Discord's favor, as I believe its executives think it does; it only provides more time for users to look for alternatives, and I predict many will have moved on by the time those changes are implemented.
I'm not quite ready to jump ship just yet, as there's no guarantee the same contacts and servers already available on Discord will also be on alternatives. Regardless, if you're ready to leave the platform behind and keep your data safe, there's a crucial step you'll need to take before deleting your Discord account.
Use Discrub to delete your Discord messages
Google Chrome's extensions are lifesavers, and with Discrub, users can easily delete attachments and messages in bulk without manually deleting each message (tutorial above).
It's possible by logging onto Discord on Chrome and simply using Discrub for multiple options, such as exporting messages or attachments if needed, or in this case, deleting them.
This is a vital step when deleting your account, as your activity and most importantly, your messages, are still visible to the other recipient – and if that includes personal information, there'll be no way to remove that once your account is gone.
Discord is under fire for its data breaches and push for age verification, which requires some form of identification. Both Discord itself and its verification software partner, Persona, have seen major data breaches (the latter was the most recent), and leaving personal information in chats isn't exactly safe either.
It's a sad state of affairs to see Discord effectively manufacture its own possible downfall, and while the age verification measures are mandatory by government law in some countries, it has still chosen to enforce them globally.
Perhaps the number of users leaving the platform will encourage its executives to restrategize, but I highly doubt it will budge.
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