By Rajwa Quasim
Discord, an instant messaging and VoIP social platform, is moving toward an age-assurance system designed to protect young users and restrict access to age-inappropriate content. The platform will begin rolling out the feature Wednesday.
Discord initially planned to launch the system in February but delayed the rollout after users raised concerns about sharing biometric information and other personal data.
The company said more than 90% of its users will not need to verify their age. Instead, Discord will use existing account information and activity patterns to place users into age groups, including adults, teens and an unconfirmed category.
The information may include how long an account has existed, device information and general usage patterns. Discord said it will not use personal information such as messages or calls to determine a user’s age group.
For users 18 and older, there will be no changes to how the platform works. Teenagers ages 13 to 17 can continue to message friends, make voice calls and join servers without age restrictions. However, additional safety measures will be introduced to prevent access to adult-content spaces and settings.
READ: 70,000 Discord users possibly affected by a data breach (October 9, 2025)
Users placed in the unconfirmed category will also be able to continue using Discord, but some adult content and settings will remain unavailable until they confirm they are adults.
Users who are incorrectly placed in another age group can confirm their age through User Settings > Account Status. Age-appropriate content and settings will then become available based on their confirmed age.
New accounts will remain unconfirmed until Discord has enough information to determine their age group. Users can also change their age group through their account settings, according to the company.
Discord said it has already introduced age-assurance measures in some regions, including areas where governments have introduced or expanded rules requiring online platforms to take steps to protect young users.
Discord Chief Technology Officer Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a blog post titled “Safe for Teens, Same Discord for Adults” that the company understands concerns about age verification.
READ: UK faces calls for social media ban for children under 16 (June 15, 2026)
“Age assurance draws strong opinions and skepticism, especially when it involves sharing biometric information or a form of ID,” Vishnevskiy wrote. “At the same time, age assurance laws are expanding, and since my last post, we’ve had to launch age assurance in other regions, including in Brazil and in Texas.”
Discord’s rollout comes amid a wider debate over how online platforms can protect young users while limiting the amount of personal information they collect.
In a related development, TikTok USDS Joint Venture, after being separated from TikTok, has joined Lantern, a cross-platform child-safety program launched by the Tech Coalition with support from technology companies. Discord is also part of the program.
The move also comes after a security incident involving a third-party vendor that handled age-related appeals for Discord.
Last year, Discord said sensitive information belonging to about 70,000 users, including government IDs, may have been exposed after hackers breached the vendor. During the age-verification process, some users had been asked to submit a selfie with their government ID and username.
Hackers claimed they had stolen 1.5 terabytes of data. Discord disputed the claim, calling it “incorrect and a way to extort money.”