Discord announces age-verification measures to roll out in March

Social media platform Discord announced on Feb. 9 that it will begin implementing global age verification starting in March.

The company said in a news release that the phased rollout will require users to verify their age to access age-restricted channels, servers and other parts of the platform. Users who don't verify their age will be defaulted into a "teen-appropriate experience."

"Rolling out teen-by-default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility," Savannah Badalich, Discord's head of product policy, said in the news release.

Discord said that users will be able to submit an ID to the platform's "vendor partners" or take part in what it calls "facial age estimation." The platform said that age estimation would use "video selfies" that would "never leave a user’s device." It added that more options will become available in the future.

The announcement comes after the platform launched a similar setup in the United Kingdom and Australia.

"This global rollout builds on that approach to deliver consistent, age-appropriate protections worldwide," the company said.

Age verification system announcement comes after data breach

Discord's announcement comes amid increasing concerns for child protection and internet privacy on major online platforms.

The company's age estimation feature is similar to that of Roblox's AI-powered age-estimator facial scan that became mandatory to use the game's chat feature. Roblox is facing nearly 80 active lawsuits as attorneys general around the country investigate the popular game, with some parents alleging their children encountered predators through the platform.

But some digital freedom advocates disagree with Discord's new policy. In a post on X, the Electronic Frontier Foundation pointed to a January article saying the organization is "against age-gating and age verification mandates."

"Every day, many people are asked to verify their age across the web, despite prominent cases of sensitive data getting leaked in the process," the article said.

Discord revealed in October that around 70,000 users suffered a data exposure that occurred after hackers compromised a vendor that the platform uses for age-related appeals. The company noted that the potentially exposed data included government ID photos.