Discord has announced enhanced teen safety features to create a safer and more inclusive experience for users aged 13 and older.
As part of this update, all new and existing users 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 in early March with a phased global rollout to new and existing users, users may be required to complete an age-verification process to change certain settings or access sensitive content. This includes age-restricted channels, servers, or commands, as well as select message requests.
Age assurance is the foundation of this new experience and is designed to respect Discord users’ privacy and choice. Discord users can choose to use facial age estimation or submit a form of identification to its vendor partners, with more options coming in the future.
Additionally, Discord will implement its age inference model, a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age. Some users may be asked to use multiple methods if more information is needed to assign an age group.
Key privacy protections of Discord’s age-assurance approach include:
- 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 is not visible to other users.
After completing a chosen method, users will receive confirmation via a direct message from Discord’s official account. A user’s assigned age group can also be viewed at any time in “My Account” settings.
Users can always go to the “My Account” settings to appeal their assigned age group and retry the process. Discord prompts users to age-assure only within Discord and currently does not send emails or text messages about its age assurance process or results.
Along with enhanced teen safety features, Discord is announcing the launch of its inaugural Teen Council, a teen advisory body that brings authentic teen perspectives into how Discord shapes their experience.
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