Discord will roll out age verification globally next month, the company announced Monday. All users default to a “Teen Friendly Experience” unless they certify that they are an adult. You must verify your age to change certain settings or access age-restricted content.
Discord users must verify as an adult to unblur sensitive content or turn off settings, and only adults can access commands on age-restricted channels, servers, and apps. Additionally, messages from people you may not know are routed to a separate inbox by default, and only authenticated adults can change this setting.
A warning prompt will appear for friend requests from unknown users, and only adults will be able to speak on the server stage.
To complete age verification, users must complete facial age estimation or submit their ID to Discord’s vendor partner. The platform plans to add more options in the future. Discord notes that some users may be asked to use multiple methods if additional information is required to assign an age group.
Estimating facial age requires a selfie video, but Discord says it never leaves the device. Additionally, the company says that IDs submitted to vendor partners are removed quickly, and in most cases immediately after age verification.
It’s worth noting that Discord revealed last October that about 70,000 of its users may have had sensitive data, including government ID photos, exposed after hackers infiltrated a third-party vendor the platform uses for age-related disputes. The breach reflected digital rights activists’ concerns about the use of age verification as a way to make the internet “safer.”
Discord’s global launch of age verification follows the company’s decision last year to establish age verification for users in the UK and Australia.
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“The global rollout of default settings for teens builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture and provides strong protections for teens while providing flexibility for verified adults,” Savannah Badalich, head of product policy at Discord, said in a press release. “We design our products around youth safety principles, and we look forward to working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support the meaningful, long-term well-being of youth on our platform.”
The announcement follows similar moves by other online platforms, reflecting growing international efforts to strengthen child safety. Just recently, Roblox introduced mandatory facial recognition to access chat on the platform. Last July, YouTube launched age estimation technology in the US to identify teenage users to provide a more age-appropriate experience.
Discord’s age verification changes will begin in early March, and will require new and existing users to verify their age to access age-restricted content.
