Discord to roll out age verification next month for full access to its platform

Source: TechCrunch

Discord to Roll Out Age Verification Next Month for Full Access

Discord announced that it will roll out global age verification starting next month. All users will be placed in a “teen‑appropriate experience” by default unless they prove they are adults. Age verification will be required to change certain settings and to access age‑restricted content.

How the New Settings Work

• Teen‑by‑default experience: Users under the verified adult age will see blurred sensitive content and will have limited access to age‑restricted channels, servers, and app commands.
• Messaging inbox: Messages from people a user may not know are routed to a separate inbox by default; only verified adults can modify this setting.
• Friend‑request warnings: Users receive warning prompts for friend requests from unknown users.
• Stage participation: Only adults will be able to speak on stage in servers.

Verification Methods

To be recognized as an adult, users must complete one of the following:

1. Facial age estimation – a video selfie processed locally on the device (the data never leaves the device).
2. ID submission – an identification document uploaded to Discord’s vendor partners. IDs are deleted quickly, often immediately after age confirmation.

Discord notes that some users may be asked to use multiple methods if additional information is needed to assign an age group. The platform plans to add more verification options in the future.

Company Statement

“Rolling out teen‑by‑default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility,” said Savannah Badalich, head of product policy at Discord, in the press release. “We design our products with teen safety principles at the core and will continue working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support meaningful, long‑term wellbeing for teens on the platform.”

The announcement follows Discord’s earlier decision to establish age checks for users in the U.K. and Australia last year (source).

Industry Context

Discord’s move mirrors similar safety initiatives by other platforms:

• Roblox introduced mandatory facial verification for chat access globally.
• YouTube launched age‑estimation technology in the U.S. to identify teen users and provide a more age‑appropriate experience.

These efforts reflect growing international pressure to strengthen child safety online.

Timeline

• Early March: Age‑verification changes go live.
• Both new and existing users will need to verify their age to access age‑restricted content.

Read the official Discord press release for more details.