Access to certain servers and settings may soon require users to verify their age.
For millions of players, Discord is the backbone of online gaming; the space where teams coordinate, communities grow, and every clutch moment gets dissected in real time. Now, the platform is tightening up how that space works, especially for younger users.
On 9 February, Discord announced a major global update that will make teen safety settings the default for all users, alongside a new age assurance system that can include facial age estimation.
In its 9 February statement, Discord confirmed that “all new and existing users worldwide will have a teen-appropriate experience by default,” with updated communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces, and content filtering. The phased rollout begins in early March.
This move comes only four months after a security data breach involving personal information of some Discord users, along with 70,000 government IDs used for age verification were compromised.
Discord rolls out face scan age verification to support teen-by-default experience
At the centre of the update is what Discord describes as “privacy-forward” age assurance. Users who want to change certain settings or access sensitive areas may be required to complete an age-verification process.
Users can choose facial age estimation or submit identification to vendor partners. Discord states that video selfies used for facial age estimation “never leave a user’s device,” while identity documents “are deleted quickly, in most cases, immediately after age confirmation.” In most situations, verification happens once and “their Discord experience adapts to their verified age group.”
The company will also introduce “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.” A user’s verification status “cannot be seen by other users,” and confirmation is delivered via direct message from Discord’s official account.
Default safety settings will apply to all users globally by March
Starting in early March, “all new and existing Discord users globally will be assigned new default settings that support age-appropriate experiences while keeping privacy front and center.”
According to Discord, the default protections include:
- Content Filters: Users “will need to be age-assured as adults in order to unblur sensitive content or turn off the setting.”
- Age-gated Spaces: “Only users who are age-assured as adults will be able to access age-restricted channels, servers, and app commands.”
- Message Request Inbox: Direct messages from people a user may not know are routed to a separate inbox by default, and “access to modify this setting is limited to age-assured adult users.”
- Friend Request Alerts: People will receive warning prompts for friend requests from users they may not know.
- Stage Restrictions: “Only age-assured adults may speak on stage in servers.”
These defaults apply automatically, meaning users do not need to opt in for the protections to take effect.
What unverified users will not be able to access under the new system
Under the teen-by-default rollout, users who do not complete age assurance as adults will face clear limitations across the platform.
Only users verified as adults will be able to:
- Access age-restricted channels, servers and app commands
- Unblur sensitive content or turn off content filters
- Modify Message Request Inbox settings
- Speak on Stage in servers
Users who choose not to verify as adults, or who are assigned to a teen age group, will remain within the more restricted default experience.
Explaining the timing, Savannah Badalich, Head of Product Policy at Discord, said: “Nowhere is our safety work more important than when it comes to teen users, which is why we are announcing these updates in time for Safer Internet Day.” She added that the global rollout builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, “giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility.”
Discord previously launched a teen-by-default experience in the UK and Australia last year. This global expansion reinforces age-appropriate protections worldwide, while maintaining “privacy, community, and meaningful connection on the platform.”
