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Discord announced on Monday that it’s rolling out age verification on its platform globally starting next month, when it will automatically set all users’ accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience unless they demonstrate that they’re adults.

Users who aren’t verified as adults will not be able to access age-restricted servers and channels, won’t be able to speak in Discord’s livestream-like “stage” channels, and will see content filters for any content Discord detects as graphic or sensitive. They will also get warning prompts for friend requests from potentially unfamiliar users, and DMs from unfamiliar users will be automatically filtered into a separate inbox.

Direct messages and servers that are not age-restricted will continue to function normally, but users won’t be able to send messages or view content in an age-restricted server until they complete the age check process, even if it’s a server they were part of before age verification rolled out. Savannah Badalich, Discord’s global head of product policy, said in an interview with The Verge that those servers will be “obfuscated” with a black screen until the user verifies they’re an adult. Users also won’t be able to join any new age-restricted servers without verifying their age.

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[-] TerdFerguson@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ok. Well I will delete my account then.

This kind of enshittification is intolerable. The reason this exists is solely to tie your online behaviour to your real life identity.

“They” want to control people’s conversations in the digital third spaces. And to find ways to punish you for the thoughts they disapprove of. Discord is happy to sell that data to whomever is buying it.

Oh well. More fediverse, please!

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

The reason this exists is solely to tie your online behaviour to your real life identity.

Are you saying Discord does not have a problem with sexual predators on children?

[-] TerdFerguson@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

No. That is an issue for all online social spaces to contend with. It wont be solved by blocking mature content servers/channels.

“Won’t someone please think of the children” is the pablum that you will accept so they can monetize your biometric data with the data you create and consume on their platform.

You really think they give a shit about kids safety?

[-] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Of course they give a shit about kids safety. Specifically because of media blowback and legal ramifications, not for the sake of the actual kids of course, but still!

[-] TerdFerguson@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Yeah I hear you. I just dont think the pressure is actually building on them for that rn.

People’s attention is on higher profile issues in that arena and it looks like those cases will go on and on without resolution.

Imma call it a 100% smokescreen for Discord, but absolutely you know the only possible reason they might ever care to do anything to deal with the problem (which this new measure does not)

[-] tonytins@pawb.social 2 points 1 week ago

monetize your biometric data with the data you create and consume on their platform.

And so governments like our current administration can track us down.

[-] dandu3@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

This will do absolutely nothing for that unless they outright ban DMs for unverified users

this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
1049 points (100.0% liked)

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