Discord announced it will roll out enhanced teen safety features globally starting in early March 2026. The update will apply “teen-by-default” settings to all new and existing users worldwide to provide age-appropriate protections.
The San Francisco-based platform designed the new settings to reinforce its safety experience for users over the age of 13. The expansion follows a successful launch of a similar teen-by-default experience in the United Kingdom and Australia last year.
Users may be required to undergo an age-verification process to access sensitive content or change certain communication settings. Discord will offer facial age estimation and identification submission through vendor partners as options for age assurance. The platform also plans to implement an age inference model that determines an account’s age group in the background without always requiring active verification.
Privacy protections will be integrated into the age-assurance process.
Video selfies used for facial age estimation are processed on-device and remain on the user’s hardware. Identification documents submitted to partners are typically deleted immediately after age confirmation and a user’s verification status remains private from other members of the platform.
The new default settings include content filters that require users to be verified as adults to unblur sensitive material. Access to age-restricted servers, channels and app commands will be limited to age-assured adults. Direct messages from unknown users will be routed to a separate inbox by default and only age-assured adults will be permitted to speak on stage within servers.
The phased global rollout of the teen-by-default settings will begin in early March 2026.
The company is also recruiting for its inaugural Teen Council, an advisory body consisting of 10 to 12 members. The council will include teens ages 13 to 17 who will provide perspectives on how Discord shapes their online experience. The group is intended to help the company understand teen needs regarding meaningful connections and online safety.
Teens interested in participating in the inaugural Teen Council can apply through May 1, 2026.
Discord is a communications platform with more than 200 million monthly active users and provides voice, video, and text features.
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