Discord to require age verification as safety concerns grow

By South Loop TV News Team

As more young people spend time socializing online, platforms like Discord have become central gathering spaces. Now for certain features, the company is preparing to introduce age verification due to growing child safety concerns and new international regulations.

In early February, Discord announced that some users would need to verify their age to access adult-only features on the platform. These include not safe for work channels and stage channels, a live audio or video space where creators can speak directly to the audience.

Discord says its goal is to improve safety while preserving user privacy. They plan to remain transparent with users as they continue to develop the new age verification system.

The announcement triggered immediate backlash from parts of the community. Many users raised concerns about privacy and the potential for data breaches. Some critics pointed to a previous security incident involving Discord’s third-party support vendor, which exposed thousands of user records, including IDs and credit card information.

According to Discord, more than 90% of users will not need to verify their age. Instead, the platform will rely on account history and activity patterns, such as video games the user plays, the channels and servers they are a part of, and whether or not they have a payment method on file.

Reporter: Hunter Warner

Web writer: Michael Ferguson