Discord Sets All Accounts to Teen Default, Requires Age Verification
Rollout begins in early March and may require on-device video selfies or government IDs after an October breach exposed 70,000 IDs.
Overview
Discord announced it will default all accounts to Teen settings beginning in early March, requiring users to verify age via on-device facial age estimation or by submitting government-issued IDs to third-party vendors, the company said.
The change affects more than 200 million monthly active users and follows an October breach in which hackers stole government IDs for 70,000 users from a third-party verification vendor, records show.
Savannah Badalich, Discord's global head of product policy, said the company will deploy an age inference model to reduce how often adults must verify and that some users "may be asked to use multiple methods," in a blog post.
k-ID and Privately, the vendors Discord cited, said the facial age-estimation runs on user devices and that Privately's model is "proven to be accurate to within 1.3 years" for 18-20-year-old faces, while independent experts and users disputed the sufficiency of on-device assurances and accuracy, according to published statements and forum posts.
Discord said it will launch a Teen Council and opened applications for 13- to 17-year-olds through May 1 to advise on safety and product design as the company rolls out the policy.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this coverage as neutral: they report Discord’s policy changes, include a company press-release quote and technical details, and provide regulatory context and past controversy (data breach, circumvention). Editorial language is restrained; quoted statements and vendor details are source content rather than evidence of framing, supporting balanced reporting.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Unverified accounts face content filtering (sensitive content blurred), restricted access to age-gated channels/servers/commands, DMs from unknowns routed to a separate inbox, warnings for friend requests from unknowns, and inability to speak on server stages.
Users can use on-device facial age estimation via video selfie or submit government-issued ID to vendor partners; some may need multiple methods, with more options planned.
Facial age estimation processes video selfies on-device without leaving the device; submitted IDs are deleted quickly, often immediately after verification; age status is private and not visible to others.
The policy follows an October breach exposing government IDs of 70,000 users from a third-party vendor, amid efforts to enhance child safety.
A new advisory group for 13-17-year-olds to provide input on safety and product design; applications open until May 1, 2026.
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