Discord will require users to verify their age through facial scanning or identification document for access to adult content, starting in March.

Discord, the chat platform with over 200 million active users monthly, will introduce a mandatory age verification globally, requiring users to confirm their age through facial scanning or by uploading an identification document. These measures are intended to protect teenage users and ensure an age-appropriate experience. Already implemented in the UK and Australia, the new rules will limit the type of content accessible to teenagers, and users who do not demonstrate that they are adults will not be able to access restricted communities or direct messages from strangers.

Users will be able to choose between uploading a photo of their ID or taking a video selfie for verification, and the information will not be stored. Criticism has been expressed regarding the privacy risks, especially after a previous incident in which the data of 70,000 users was compromised. Discord thus follows the example of other social platforms that have implemented similar measures for the protection of minors, in the context of increasing legislative pressures.