In a move that is already sparking significant debate across the gaming community, Discord has announced a massive shift in its safety architecture. Starting in March 2026, the platform will implement a “teen-by-default” policy for its 200 million global users.
This means that unless you actively prove you are an adult through facial estimation or government ID, your account will be restricted to a limited, age-appropriate experience.
This update follows similar rollouts in the UK and Australia, but the global expansion represents one of the most aggressive age-assurance pushes in the history of social messaging platforms.
How Discord’s “Teen-by-Default” Settings Change Your Experience
Once the update rolls out, every Discord account – regardless of how old it is – will be treated as a teen account by default. To regain “Adult” status and unlock the full suite of features, users must complete a verification process.
If you choose not to verify, you will face several major restrictions:
- Age-Gated Spaces: You will be barred from entering any server or channel marked as NSFW or 18+.
- Sensitive Content Filters: Media deemed graphic or sensitive will be blurred, and the option to disable this filter will be locked.
- Stage Restrictions: Only verified adults will be permitted to speak on Stage channels in larger servers.
- Message Requests: DMs from users not on your friends list will be routed to a hidden “Message Request” folder that cannot be disabled without proof of age.
Discord Face Scan vs. ID Verification: Which Should You Choose?
To bypass these restrictions, Discord is offering two primary methods of “age assurance.”
The first is Facial Age Estimation. This involves taking a video selfie that uses AI to estimate your age. Discord claims this is a privacy-forward option because the biometric processing happens entirely on your device and the video selfie is never sent to their servers.
The second is Government ID Verification. This requires uploading a photo of a driver’s license or passport to a third-party vendor. While Discord asserts that these documents are deleted “immediately” after confirmation, many users remain skeptical following a 2025 data breach that exposed 70,000 ID documents from a previous partner.
What is the Discord Age Inference Model?
Interestingly, Discord, which laid off 170 staff in 2024 is also launching an “Age Inference Model.” This system runs in the background and analyzes metadata – such as the ESRB ratings of the games you play, your active hours, and your behavioral patterns – to guess whether you are an adult.
If this AI system has “high confidence” that you are over 18, you may never see a prompt to verify. However, if the system flags you incorrectly, or if you want to join an 18+ community that requires manual verification, you will still be funneled into the face scan or ID loop.
“Nowhere is our safety work more important than when it comes to teen users,” said Discord policy head Savannah Badalich. “Rolling out teen-by-default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility.”
Privacy Concerns and the Future of the Platform
The gaming community’s reaction has been mixed. While safety advocates praise the move as a necessary step to combat child exploitation, privacy-conscious gamers are raising alarms. For many, the idea of providing biometric data or legal identification to a platform that has suffered past security lapses is a dealbreaker.
As the March deadline approaches, players must decide if full access to their favorite communities is worth the trade-off of their personal data. Discord faced criticism last October after official ID photos of around 70,000 users were potentially leaked after a firm which helped it verify ages was hacked.
Discord’s first-ever year-end recap, Checkpoint 2025, rolled out at the end of last year. For more on how to manage your privacy settings, stay tuned to GamesHub.
