Discord introduces worldwide age control

Samuel Buchmann

10.2.2026

Translation: machine translated

Anyone who wants access to adult content will have to undergo age verification on Discord from March 2026. In most cases, this will be done using AI. However, there are concerns about reliability and data protection.

Discord is introducing stricter age controls worldwide from March and is linking full access to the platform to a facial scan or ID. All new and existing accounts will initially be set to a «teen-friendly» default setting. Only those who are categorised as being of legal age will be able to access adult content and functions without restrictions.

Technically, Discord relies on a combination of automatic age estimation and active verification. A so-called age inference model first uses metadata such as account age, device data and usage patterns to estimate whether the user is an adult. Private messages and content are not analysed for this purpose. If this model estimate is not sufficient, users must actively prove their age - either via a video selfie or with a photo of an official ID.

Unverified accounts will no longer be able to access age-restricted servers and channels or unblock sensitive content. Direct messages from unknown contacts are sent to a separate inbox by default, and warnings for friend requests cannot be deactivated. Existing memberships in communities marked as «18+» are hidden until the age check has been completed.

Between data protection and regulatory pressure

Discord emphasises that it wants to protect data privacy. Video selfies for age assessment should not leave the device, and ID scans would «in most cases» be deleted immediately after confirmation. The verified age status is only visible to the person concerned. At the same time, the company is responding to regulatory pressure: similar mechanisms have already been introduced in the UK and Australia as part of new online safety laws. The requirements for age checks on large platforms are increasing worldwide.

At the same time, the debate about digital ID requirements is intensifying. Data protectionists have been warning for years that centralised age verification systems offer a target for data leaks and effectively create new identity registers. Discord itself came under fire in October after a former verification partner compromised images of the government IDs of tens of thousands of users.

It also remains to be seen how well the automatic categorisation by algorithms works. The AI is likely to make mistakes and not recognise adult users as such - but also incorrectly classify minors as adults. In the past, the gaming community has also used tricks to outsmart facial scans. For example, the photo mode of the video game «Death Stranding».

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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