Discord will roll out a global age assurance system starting in March, tying full access to the app to proof that a user is an adult, in a move that will place all accounts by default in a teen-appropriate experience unless users successfully confirm their age.
Discord, one of the most popular free social and communications platforms with voice, video, and text chat, says the change is meant to reduce minors’ exposure to sensitive and unwanted contact, as regulatory pressure and lawsuits over children and teenagers’ safety intensify for social media platforms.
Under the new requirement, a user needs to confirm they are an adult to remove sensitive-content blurring, access channels and servers labeled age-restricted, or change settings that limit messages from strangers.
The app will, by default, move messages from people a user does not know into a separate inbox, with additional warnings on friend requests from unfamiliar accounts, while limiting some sharing features in servers to adults who complete verification.
Discord is offering two main verification methods, the first estimating a user’s age from their face through a video selfie, and the second uploading an official ID with partner verification providers. The company says the selfie video does not leave a user’s device, and that ID images are deleted quickly after confirmation. It also said age assurance is a one-time process to access an age-appropriate experience without repeat checks.
The announced changes have renewed debate over the cost of safety when it becomes tied to collecting highly sensitive data, especially as Discord has previously disclosed a breach involving a third-party provider linked to age-related operations, raising the possibility that sensitive data, including images of government IDs, was exposed. Digital rights advocates cite such incidents in opposing the expansion of age checks, arguing they increase the risks of data leaks or misuse.
Discord’s move also follows tests and adjustments that began in specific markets. The company has tied user-experience changes in the UK and Australia to legislative and regulatory waves requiring platforms to provide age-appropriate experiences and reduce content and contact risks for minors.
Official support documents say age assurance is intended to manage default settings and control sensitive content, as part of a broader push to standardize the policy globally rather than limiting it to specific countries.
Technology coverage says Discord expects most adults will not need additional manual intervention, but the app sets a strict track for users whose age group it cannot determine, meaning some users may face a direct choice between providing more data or losing access to parts of the platform, including servers they previously joined if they become labeled age-restricted.
An investigation by Al Manassa and the Masaar foundation last month documented widespread disruption affecting Discord in Egypt on Jan. 11 and 12, before access returned to normal close to midnight on Jan. 12. During the monitoring period, the app remained stuck in a continuous attempt to connect, or stopped at an incomplete loading stage.
The disruption came after activists on a Discord group named GenZ002 launched an online poll titled “The people’s referendum to remove Sisi.”
