Discord to Implement Age Verification
Social media platform Discord will begin rolling out global age verification. The move is part of a broader effort among technology companies to enhance safety and compliance measures on their platforms, particularly for younger users.
- The platform will use an AI-powered inference model to estimate a user's age based on behavioral signals like their tenure on the platform and games they play, without analyzing private messages. For users this model cannot confirm as adults, Discord will offer age verification through a video selfie or by uploading a government-issued ID. - Discord is partnering with a new third-party vendor, K-ID, for ID verification, following a 2025 data breach with a previous partner that resulted in the theft of 70,000 ID images. The company states that any submitted ID images will be "deleted quickly" after verification. - The age estimation via video selfie is processed entirely on the user's device and does not involve biometric scanning or facial recognition, with Discord only receiving the age group estimation. - By default, all user accounts will be set to a "teen-appropriate experience," which blurs mature content, restricts access to age-gated channels, and provides warnings for friend requests from unknown users. To access adult-restricted content or change certain safety settings, users must be verified as over 18. - This move is part of a larger industry trend, with platforms like Roblox and YouTube also implementing stricter age assurance methods to comply with increasing global regulations. In the U.S. alone, at least 41 age verification bills have been discussed or passed at the state level. - The initial announcement caused backlash from users concerned about privacy, prompting Discord to clarify that the majority of users who do not access age-restricted content will not need to go through the verification process. The rollout of these changes is scheduled to begin in March.
