The popular community and communication platform Discord is preparing one of the biggest changes in its history: from March 2026, the company will globally introduce mandatory age verification for all users, regardless of where they are. This means that each profile will automatically be marked as “teen-appropriate” until the user verifies that they are of legal age, which is part of Discord’s strategy to improve the safety of young users and meet increasingly stringent international legal requirements.
So far, Discord has tested the age verification system in some countries, including the UK and Australia, but now it’s taking it a step further. Every account worldwide will have to go through one of several verification methods provided if the user wants full access to features reserved for adults.
The basic idea is to protect minor users from inappropriate content and contacts. While the standard communication and core functions of Discord will not change, an account that is not age-verified will be restricted in several key areas:
- Channels and servers with age restrictions will be hidden or blocked while the age is verified.
- Messages from unknown users and friend requests will be filtered or taken to a separate inbox, and warnings will appear more often.
- Unavailability of some communication tools such as speech on server-stage channels until age verification is completed.
- Obfuscation of sensitive content or automatic hiding of images and videos that may be inappropriate for younger users.
Discord offers multiple ways to show you’re of legal age. First, there’s AI age estimation through video selfies, with the help of a system that uses a model that works solely on the device and doesn’t send the video anywhere else.
It is also possible to submit an official ID document that will be analyzed through a third-party partner, with the key promise that images are deleted immediately after age verification.
In addition, there is an automatic age determination (“age inference model”), using a model that analyzes non-private data and account behavior, assessing whether the account probably belongs to an adult.
The company points out that most users shouldn’t notice much change if the algorithm can reliably determine their age group without active verification. This means that manual verification via selfie or ID may not be necessary for many.
The change comes at a time when regulators around the world are demanding stricter measures to protect children online, and Discord is among the platforms under pressure to increase safety controls, similar to efforts by other services to introduce automated age assessment and content controls for minors.
Reactions from the community have been mixed: while some support the additional protections for young people, others express concerns about privacy and the obligation to share personal data, especially in light of previous security incidents in which a third party processing user data was compromised.
Regardless, this is a significant change for Discord that points to a broader trend in the technology industry – moving from minimal content availability checks to active identity checks to protect the most vulnerable users, but also to keep platforms in line with global legislation that increasingly focuses on children’s online safety, reports The Verge.