In a nutshell

• Discord expands teen-by-default safety protections globally, including stronger default filters and age-gated spaces.
• Age assurance tools will ensure privacy-forward verification for accessing restricted features.
• A new Teen Council will give teens direct input on future safety updates.

Discord has announced that it will require a Face Scan or ID to access the platform’s full features starting next month, as it expands its teen safety features worldwide.

Building on earlier rollouts in the UK and Australia, the platform is now introducing stronger default protections and age-assurance tools across all regions to create safer, age-appropriate experiences. In short, it will automatically set all user accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience, requiring users to show they are adults to unlock certain features.

Savannah Badalich, Discord’s global head of product policy, spoke to The Verge and says that “For most adults, age verification won’t be required, as Discord’s age inference model uses account information such as account tenure, device and activity data, and aggregated, high-level patterns across Discord communities. Discord does not use private messages or any message content in this process.”

Discord Will Require Verification

Discord will introduce a toolkit of age assurance methods, including:

• Age inference models to predict adult users with high confidence.
• Facial age estimation and ID scans via trusted partners, with strict privacy safeguards.
• On-device processing and quick deletion of sensitive data to protect user privacy.

Users only need to verify once when accessing age-restricted features.

Direct messages and non-age-restricted servers will continue to work as usual. However, users must complete the age verification process before they can send messages or access age-restricted content on age-restricted servers, even if they were already members before the rollout.

Teen-by-Default Safety Settings

Discord’s new teen-by-default approach ensures that all users start with robust safety features enabled. These include:

• Sensitive Content Filters: Media flagged as sensitive remains blurred unless verified as an adult.
• Age-Gated Spaces: Only age-assured adults can access restricted servers, channels, and commands.
• Message Request Inbox: Direct messages from unknown users are routed to a separate inbox.
• Stage Restrictions: Speaking privileges in stage channels are limited to verified adults.

Adults can verify their age to adjust these settings, while teens remain protected by default.