Discord to start requiring face scan or ID to access adult content

pDiscord will soon require users globally to verify their age with a face scan or by uploading a form of ID if they want to access adult contentppThe online chat service which allows people to create and join groups based on their interests says it has more than 200 million monthly usersppIts new safety measures are designed to protect people by placing everyone into a teenappropriate experience by defaultppDiscord already makes some users in the UK and Australia verify their age to comply with online safety laws but it will roll out age checks to users worldwide from early MarchppNowhere is our safety work more important than when it comes to teen users said Discord policy head Savannah BadalichppRolling out teenbydefault settings globally builds on Discords existing safety architecture giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibilityppThe platform says the new default settings will restrict what people can see and how they can communicate with only those who prove they are an adult able to access agerestricted communities and unblur material marked as sensitiveppUsers will also not be able to see direct messages sent to them from someone they do not know unless they complete Discords age checksppThe sentiment behind creating a safer community for all social media users is a positive move said Drew Benvie head of social media consultancy BattenhallppBut he told the BBC putting the new system into place could be fraught with issues considering the platform has millions of communitiesppDiscord could lose users if its implementation of age verification backfires but it could equally attract more new users who will be drawn to its new standards for online safety by design he saidppThe company said later on Monday it would use inference tools to identify users likely to be adultsppFor most adults age verification wont be required as Discords age inference model uses account information such as account tenure device and activity data and aggregated highlevel patterns across Discord communities said BadalichppDiscord does not use private messages or any message content in this processppUsers can either upload a photo of their ID to confirm their age or take a video selfie where AI will be used to estimate their facial ageppDiscord said information used for age checks will not be stored by the platform or the verification companyppIt said face scans would not be collected and ID uploads would be deleted after the verification is completeppPrivacy campaigners have previously warned such methods could pose a risk to peoples privacyppDiscord faced criticism in October after official ID photos of around 70000 users were potentially leaked after a firm which helped it verify ages was hackedppIts announcement comes after reports in early January said the company was looking to start selling its shares publiclyppWith its new measures which include a teen advisory council Discord is also echoing Metas Facebook and Instagram TikTok and RobloxppWhile forced age verification and safe content by default could be a combination of changes that we see other social networks adopt I expect they will all be watching how Discords implementation lands with its users Benvie saidppSocial platforms have rolled out a slew of measures to protect teens and children on their sites in recent years after facing increased pressure from lawmakersppDiscords boss Jason Citron was grilled about his companys child safety measures at a fiery US Senate hearing in 2024 alongside Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg Snap boss Evan Spiegler and TikToks chief Shou ChewppSign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the worlds top tech stories and trends Outside the UK Sign up hereppThe University of Kent says people should think wisely about using AI to write Valentines Day lettersppIt comes in the same week an OpenAI researcher resigned amid concerns about its decision to start testing ChatGPT adsppVibecoding tools which let people without coding skills create apps using AI are exploding in popularityppAs hiring rates and job openings drop some worry a tough job market could be here to stay ppDeveloping a durable and affordable hand is one of the biggest challenges in roboticsppCopyright 2026 BBC All rights reserved The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites Read about our approach to external linkingpp p