- Discord will start rolling out mandatory age verification checks for its new and existing users in March.
- The platform is calling it, "Teen-by-Default settings" which will restrict sensitive content and servers for everyone.
- Users will need to verify their age via face scanning or submitting a government ID to regain access to adult content.
Starting in March 2026, Discord will roll out age verification checks for all users globally, whether new or existing. The company is calling it “Teen-by-Default Settings,” which will automatically restrict sensitive content and servers on the platform unless users complete their age verification, confirming they are adults.
Discord shared a blog post on Monday, announcing the upcoming change for all users. The post states, “Beginning with a phased global rollout to new and existing users in early March, users may be required to engage in an age-verification process to change certain settings or access sensitive content. This includes age-restricted channels, servers, or commands and select message requests.”
How Discord’s Policy Will Affect Unverified Users?
Unverified users will be barred from accessing servers with sensitive content. Moreover, they will not be allowed to speak in Discord Stage channels either. These Discord users will also see a warning label when receiving friend request from unknown accounts. DMs from unfamiliar users will move to a separate inbox like Instagram.
This stricter push for age verification comes as a result of stronger age checks for online child safety, which other apps have started following too. Users will only need to scan their face, and Discord’s age inference model will determine their age. In case that does not work out, you will need to provide a verified Government ID to complete age verification on Discord.
It is worth noting that this change will not apply to people who have previously confirmed their age on Discord. This is not the first time Discord is implementing age verification. The platform experimented with age verification in certain regions last year. However, that also resulted in 70,000+ government ID of Discord users leaked in a data breach.
With all that said, rules are starting to get stricter on the platform. But what do you think about this change? Let us know in the comments below.
