Popular video and voice chat social platform, Discord, has stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy with its new age-verification rules, aimed at “creating a safer and more inclusive experience for users over the age of 13.”
Discord is switching to a “teen-by-default” setting, which means all new and existing users will their settings set as if they were under 18, including age-gated restrictions and content filtering. This includes blurring photos of sensitive content, age-restricted channels and servers, and automatically filtering direct messages from unknown senders.
The global rollout is set to begin in early March (it launched last year in the UK and Australia), with existing users needing to use an age-verification process to update to “adult” settings.
This age-verification can use either facial age estimation, or require submitting a form of legal identification. Some users may be asked to use multiple methods.
Having to suddenly fork over an ID or facial scan to fully utilize Discord has understandably upset just about everyone (ratio’d, as the kids say, on every social media platform).
The social platform recently made two critical points of clarification:
- Discord is not requiring everyone to complete a face scan or upload an ID to use Discord.
- The vast majority of people can continue using Discord exactly as they do today, without ever being asked to confirm their age.
“For the majority of adult users, we will be able to confirm your age group using information we already have,” states the updated section. “We use age prediction to determine, with high confidence, when a user is an adult. This allows many adults to access age-appropriate features without completing an explicit age check.
It seems that Discord is also banking on the fact that most users don’t access age-restricted content on Discord, and won’t actually need to go through the age verification process anyway.
Also, I’m curious about these age predictions; according to my Spotify Wrapped, I’m in my 20s, which is hilariously off-base.
“Rolling out teen-by-default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility,” said Savannah Badalich, Head of Product Policy, Discord. We design our products with teen safety principles at the core and will continue working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support meaningful, long term well-being for teens on the platform.”
Discord is also recruiting its inaugural Teen Council, an advisory group that “will help ensure Discord’s safety features are protective while balancing teen privacy and autonomy.” Interested teens ages 13-17 can apply by filling out this form until May 1.
