New Delhi: Discord will begin rolling out global age verification next month, changing how users access content and features across the platform. Starting in early March, all accounts will default to a “teen-appropriate experience” unless users verify that they are adults. The move applies to both new and existing users and is part of a broader push to strengthen online child safety.
The verification system will gate several settings and features. Only confirmed adults will be able to view unblurred sensitive content, access age-restricted servers and channels, adjust message controls from unknown users, and speak onstage during server events. The company says the changes are designed to give teens stronger protections while preserving flexibility for adults.
How age verification will work
To verify their age, users must either complete a facial age estimation or submit a government-issued ID through Discord’s vendor partners. In some cases, users may be asked to use more than one method if additional checks are needed to determine an age group.
Discord says facial age estimation relies on short video selfies that never leave the user’s device. IDs submitted to vendors are deleted quickly, often immediately after age confirmation. The company has also said it plans to introduce more verification options over time.
New defaults for messaging and interactions
Under the new system, messages from people a user may not know will be routed to a separate inbox by default. Warning prompts will also appear for friend requests from unfamiliar users. Only verified adults will be able to change these defaults, which Discord says are meant to reduce unwanted contact for teens.
Access to age-restricted app commands and servers will also be limited to adults, tightening controls across community spaces where mature content may appear.
Privacy concerns and past data breaches
The announcement is in spite of the ongoing concerns of the digital rights activists on age checks and data collection. Last October, Discord also announced that approximately 70,000 users might have been exposed to sensitive data, such as government ID pictures, because a third-party vendor was breached.
Discord has repeated that it is enhancing security and collaborating with external partners to minimise the risks associated with verification procedures.
The global implementation of Discord is based on the previous work of age verification that was introduced in the U.K. and Australia. Savannah Badalich has indicated that the changes are based on the already existing safety architecture of Discord and have a long-term wellbeing orientation of teens.
The action is the reflection of the actions by other platforms. Recently, Roblox introduced the requirement to verify your face before being able to chat, whereas YouTube introduced age-estimation technology in the U.S. last year. Discord claims that its age-verification reforms will start expanding to other parts of the world in early March.