Face scans, ID checks, and “teen-by-default” settings are coming to Discord, and many longtime users are saying they’d rather leave than hand over more data.
Discord is preparing a major safety overhaul for March. However, the platform’s new age checks have sparked a wave of backlash from its own community.
The communication app will roll out a global “teen-by-default” update, where every account will be treated as a teen account unless the user proves they’re an adult, either through a face scan or government ID handled by third-party vendors.
In its announcement, Discord says the update is meant to create a “teen-appropriate experience by default” worldwide, with earlier launches in the UK and Australia.
This update includes stricter content filters, limited access to age-gated channels and servers, tighter controls on message requests, and restrictions on who can speak on Stage channels unless they’re age-verified as adults.
The company pitches this as “privacy-forward age assurance,” claiming facial age estimation is processed on-device and that ID documents sent to vendors will be deleted shortly once the verification is done.
But on the r/technology subreddit, one of the highest-upvoted replies points out that this push is landing just a few months after a major data breach. The breach involved government ID data used for age checks, linking to Discord’s October 2025 third-party data incident as a fresh warning sign. “No one should trust any website or online platform to securely handle their data,” another commenter added.
Others are more blunt, where several users are saying they’ll simply stay in “teen” mode or walk away from the platform entirely rather than upload a selfie or ID for access. Another user jokes that they’ve been on Discord for a “decade” and still won’t hand over documents, calling out a wider fatigue with age checks across tech platforms.
On this X thread, a popular Call of Duty leaker, realityUK, has commented, “The same discord that gets data breaches all the time? Nooooo, thank you.”
Given how big Discord is in online communities, the changes make it feel like the shift is harder to avoid. Some are already trying to escape from the app, mentioning older alternatives like Teamspeak and Ventrilo as potential fallbacks if Discord doesn’t adjust course.
