Discord, the popular communication platform, has announced a global rollout of a new age verification system set to launch next month. The move aims to create a safer environment by defaulting all users into a “teen-appropriate experience” unless they can verify they are adults, which will be required to access age-restricted content and features.
A Teen-First Approach to Safety
Under the new policy, several key features will be restricted to verified adults. This includes the ability to unblur sensitive content, access age-restricted channels and servers, and modify settings for incoming messages from unknown users, which will now be routed to a separate inbox by default.
Furthermore, all users will receive warning prompts for friend requests from people they may not know, and only adults will be permitted to speak on stage in servers, adding a layer of protection for younger users in public community spaces.
“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. “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.”
Verification Methods and Privacy Concerns
To verify their age, users will have two primary options: completing a facial age estimation via a video selfie or submitting a government-issued ID to Discord’s third-party vendor partners. The company assures users that the video selfies used for age estimation never leave the user’s device. It also states that submitted IDs are deleted quickly after the age confirmation process is complete.
However, this move comes after a data breach disclosed by Discord last October, where a third-party vendor was compromised, potentially exposing the sensitive data of around 70,000 users, including their government ID photos. The incident highlights ongoing concerns from digital rights advocates about the privacy risks associated with mandatory age verification systems.
Relevance for the MENA Region
This global policy change holds significant implications for the MENA region, which has one of the world’s youngest populations and a rapidly growing digital and gaming ecosystem. Platforms like Discord are central hubs for youth communities, from gamers to creative hobbyists.
The new age verification system aligns with a growing emphasis on digital safety and child protection from regulators across the region. As governments in key markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia introduce stricter online regulations, global platforms are proactively adapting their policies. For MENA-based community managers and content creators, this will mean adjusting their server settings and content strategies to accommodate the new age-gating rules, ensuring their communities remain compliant and accessible to the appropriate audiences.
A Broader Industry Trend
Discord’s initiative is not an isolated event but part of a wider industry shift towards stronger child safety measures online. This follows similar actions from other major platforms, such as Roblox, which recently introduced mandatory facial verification for chat access, and YouTube, which launched age-estimation technology in the U.S. to provide a more age-appropriate experience for its teen users. The changes will begin rolling out in early March for both new and existing Discord users.
About Discord
Discord is a voice, video, and text communication service used by over a hundred million people to hang out and talk with their friends and communities. Originally built for gamers, it has since expanded to become a general-use platform for communities of all types, from study groups to art collectives.
Source: TechCrunch
