Discord to Lock All Accounts Behind Face Scans or ID Checks Starting March

Discord Goes Global with Age Verification

Discord has announced that every user on the platform will be placed into a restricted teen-by-default experience starting in early March twenty twenty six. The gaming and chat platform, which serves more than two hundred million monthly active users, will require age verification through facial scanning or government-issued identification to unlock full access.

What Changes for Users

The move, timed to coincide with Safer Internet Day, means unverified users will face significant restrictions. Sensitive content will remain blurred, age-restricted channels and servers will be blocked, and direct messages from unknown contacts will be routed to a separate inbox. Users will also lose the ability to modify certain communication settings or speak on server stages without completing verification.

Discord is offering two primary methods to confirm age: a facial age estimation using a video selfie, or submission of government-issued identification such as a driving licence or passport. The platform will also deploy a background age inference model to help determine whether accounts belong to adults without always requiring manual verification.

Privacy Concerns Loom Large

The announcement has drawn sharp criticism given Discord's recent security history. In October twenty twenty five, hackers breached a third-party vendor handling age verification data, exposing government ID images of approximately seventy thousand users, primarily from the United Kingdom and Australia where the system was first trialled.

Discord is emphasising privacy safeguards for the global rollout. Video selfies for facial age estimation are processed entirely on-device and never leave the user's phone. Identity documents submitted to vendor partners are reportedly deleted immediately after age confirmation in most cases.

Building on Regional Trials

The global expansion follows Discord's initial rollout in the United Kingdom and Australia throughout twenty twenty five, driven by stricter social media regulations including Australia's ban on social media for users under sixteen and the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act. The platform has also announced recruitment for an inaugural Teen Council of ten to twelve young people aged thirteen to seventeen to help shape the teen experience going forward.