Discord has announced that beginning in March, age verification will become mandatory for all users

Update, February 11 2026: After backlash to its recent announcement, Discord clarified that "most adults" would not need to verify their age. This is because their age could be determined from "account information such as account tenure, device and activity data, and aggregated, high-level patterns across Discord communities." The company assured that private messages or the content of messages would not be part of this process.

Original story, February 9 2026: Discord, a tool used for chatting and community building, has revealed plans to implement age verification for all users, new and existing, starting in March. Accounts unable to verify their age will see a "teen-appropriate" experience. This move follows Roblox's similar requirement for user age verification before accessing its chat features.

The verification process on Discord will involve either facial age estimation or submitting verification to "vendor partners". This step aligns with similar actions taken in the UK and Australia, responding to recent legislative demands. Previously, users managed to bypass these checks, such as through Death Stranding's photo mode, and a security breach resulted in the exposure of personal data for 70,000 users after a partner firm was compromised.

Discord outlined that video selfies used for age verification won’t be uploaded from a user's device, and that any identity documents sent to vendor partners are promptly deleted, often immediately after age verification is complete.

Discord's global head of product policy, Savannah Badalich, mentioned to The Verge that while users may try to circumvent the age checks, the company is committed to addressing potential exploits as they arise.

Accounts that do not successfully verify their age will face these limitations:

Content Filters: Only adults who verify their age can unblur sensitive content or disable the feature.
Age-gated Spaces: Access to restricted channels, servers, and app commands is reserved for age-confirmed adults.
Message Request Inbox: Direct messages from unknown senders will default to a separate inbox, with settings change limited to verified adults.
Friend Request Alerts: Alerts will notify users of friend requests from unknown individuals.
Stage Restrictions: Speaking on stage in servers is restricted to age-confirmed adults.

Discord has become an essential tool for communication and promotion within the gaming sector, often utilized by indie developers and publishers to create excitement ahead of releases. With more than 200 million users, Discord is looking at potential public stock offering preparations.

This article was updated to reflect further clarification from Discord following their initial message.