Discord Requires Age Verification Starting March 2026

Discord Announces Mandatory Age Verification: What Developers and Users Need to Know

Discord is implementing a major policy shift that will affect its 200 million monthly active users worldwide. Starting in early March 2026, the platform will default all accounts to a "teen-appropriate experience," requiring age verification for users who want full access to the platform.

What's Changing

Discord's new Terms of Service update introduces a "teen-by-default" approach to user safety. All existing and new user accounts will automatically receive teen-level restrictions unless users verify their age as adults. This represents a significant departure from Discord's previous trust-based age system and marks one of the most comprehensive age verification rollouts by a major social platform.

The changes will begin rolling out globally in early March 2026, following limited trials conducted in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2025. According to Discord, the update aims to enhance protection for younger users while maintaining privacy and community connection.

Verification Methods

Discord offers two primary methods for age verification, both processed through third-party vendor partners including Yoti, a UK-based digital identity verification company:

1. Facial age estimation - Users record a video selfie that uses AI to estimate age through on-device processing
2. Government ID upload - Users submit documents such as passports, driver's licenses, or national IDs for verification

Discord emphasizes that facial scan data is processed locally on the user's device and is not transmitted or stored. Similarly, uploaded ID documents are deleted following successful verification. However, some users may be required to use multiple verification methods when additional information is needed to assign an age group.

Restrictions for Unverified Accounts

Users who don't complete age verification will face significant limitations:

• Unable to unblur sensitive content or access age-restricted channels and servers
• Cannot modify message request inbox settings
• Direct messages from unknown users routed to a separate inbox
• Restricted from speaking on stage in servers
• More prominent friend request alerts for unverified accounts

How Discord Determines Who Needs Verification

Discord clarifies that most users won't need to manually verify their age. The platform uses an age inference model that analyzes account information including account tenure, device and activity data, and aggregated patterns across Discord communities to estimate user age. Importantly, Discord does not use private messages or any message content in this process.

Only users attempting to access age-restricted content, modify certain privacy settings, or those flagged by the inference system will encounter verification prompts.

Privacy Concerns and Community Backlash

The announcement has triggered significant privacy backlash from Discord's user base. Many users express concerns about providing sensitive biometric data or government identification to access a messaging platform they've used for years. Privacy advocates warn that widespread age verification could create new vectors for phishing attacks, as criminals could design counterfeit verification pages to harvest identification documents and facial scan data.

Critics also point out potential GDPR compliance issues in the European Union, arguing that Discord may be engaging in unnecessary data collection where no EU mandate requires government-issued ID for age verification. The company maintains that its verification system is privacy-centric and compliant with data protection laws including GDPR.

Impact on Developers and Server Administrators

For developers and server administrators who manage Discord communities, this update has several implications. Age-restricted servers and channels will only be accessible to verified adult users, potentially reducing community size but improving compliance with content guidelines. Developers building Discord bots and applications should prepare for changes in user access patterns and may need to implement additional checks for age-gated features.

Server moderators will also need to communicate these changes to their communities and potentially adjust content policies to accommodate the new verification requirements. The update could affect voice chat participation, as only verified adults can speak on stage in servers.

What This Means for the Platform's Future

Discord's move follows increasing regulatory pressure globally and a New Jersey lawsuit alleging the platform failed to protect minors from abuse. The implementation represents what privacy experts call "the start of a bigger shift" toward mandatory identity verification across social platforms.

While Discord positions this as a protective measure for teen users, the long-term implications for platform accessibility and user privacy remain contentious. The company promises to add more verification options in the future beyond facial scanning and ID uploads.

Key Takeaway: If you're a Discord user or manage communities on the platform, prepare for verification prompts starting March 2026. While Discord's age inference model may automatically classify many users as adults, those accessing age-restricted content will need to provide verification through facial scanning or ID upload to maintain full platform access.