Popular social platform Discord is rolling out new “teen-appropriate” privacy settings worldwide. The new Discord settings, announced in a press release on Monday, will require users to verify their ages to access age-restricted content or adjust content visibility settings. According to Discord, the new safety features will be enabled “by default, with updated communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces, and content filtering that preserves the privacy and meaningful connections that define” the platform.
Discord says that, with the change, it hopes to “reinforce its long-standing commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive experience for users over the age of 13. As part of this update, all new and existing users worldwide will have a teen-appropriate experience by default.”
Discord users can expect changes to safety settings when the global initiative kicks off in “early March.” The platform says its users “may be required to engage in an age-verification process” in order to change settings or view sensitive content. In its press release, the platform confirms that “age-restricted channels, servers, or commands and select message requests” will be affected.
Discord’s Head of Product Policy, Savannah Badalich, expanded on platform safety in the brand’s news release. “Nowhere is our safety work more important than when it comes to teen users,” Badalich begins, “which is why we are announcing these updates in time for Safer Internet Day. Rolling out teen-by-default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility. 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.”
Discord details ‘age-assurance approach’ in new press release
Discord says its new safety settings center on “age assurance.”
“Age assurance is the foundation of this new experience and is designed to respect Discord users’ privacy and choice,” the news release explains. “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.”
Discord’s new age-assurance approach includes:
- 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 cannot be seen by other users.
After verification, users will receive confirmation via a Discord direct message from the company’s official account. According to the news release, users’ assigned age group can be viewed in “My Account.”
“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.”
If users want to appeal their age-group assignment, Discord says they can retry the process.
Discord’s new default safety settings
“Starting in early March,” the social platform’s news release reads, “all new and existing Discord users globally will be assigned new default settings that support age-appropriate experiences while keeping privacy front and center.” The platform launched a similar experience for European and Australian users last year, adding that “this global rollout builds on that approach to deliver consistent, age-appropriate protections worldwide.”
Discord shared some of the changes users can expect to see when the default settings roll out next month:
- Content Filters: Discord 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.
Discord also announced its inaugural Teen Council, a new teen-comprised advisory body that allows younger users to add “diverse teen perspectives directly into decision-making.” The Teen Council, Discord says, “will consist of 10-12 teens and will help ensure Discord understands – not assumes – what teens need, how they build meaningful connections, and what makes them feel safe and supported online.”
The announcement included a call-to-action for Interested teens aged 13-17; young Discord users interested in Discord’s Teen Council undertaking can apply anytime from now until May 1, 2026.
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