Discord's mandatory age verification

Discord is moving forward with mandatory age verification for many users. This decision comes on the heels of a data breach in October 2025, which exposed the personal and sensitive information of over 70,000 users. The timing of these changes has raised concerns about user privacy, data security, and the anonymity of being online, which is slowly disappearing.

Discord's Teen-By-Default Age Verification Policy

On February 9, 2026, Discord announced its "teen-by-default" policy, which will be launched globally. All new and existing users worldwide will have a teen-appropriate experience by default unless and until Discord determines you are over the age of 18. This feature restricts access to age-gated servers, channels, bot commands, and "select message requests."^[1]

Methods Of Verification

Currently there are three methods discord will use to determine the age of the user; video selfies, ID verification, and its new age inference model.

Age Inference Model

ID Verification

Video Selfie

Background

Information about the product/service history to provide the necessary context surrounding the incident

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

[Incident]

Change this section's title to be descriptive of the incident.

Impartial and complete description of the events, including actions taken by the company, and the timeline of the incident coming to the public's attention.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

Discord's response

If applicable, add the proposed solution to the issues by the company.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

Lawsuit

If applicable, add any information regarding litigation around the incident here.

Claims

Main claims of the suit.

Rebuttal

The response of the company or counterclaims.

Outcome

The outcome of the suit, if any.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

Consumer response

Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

References

↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0

^[1]^[2]^[3]

Add a category with the same name as the product, service, website, software, product line or company that this article is about.

The "Incidents" category is not needed.

Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.

↑ Bonifield, Stevie (2026-02-09). "Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
↑ "Discord Launches Teen-by-Default Settings Globally". Discord. 2026-02-09. Archived from the original on 2026-02-09. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
↑ "Update on a Security Incident Involving Third-Party Customer Service". Discord. 2025-10-03. Archived from the original on 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2026-02-19.

[:0-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0

[2] Bonifield, Stevie (2026-02-09). "Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-19.

[:0-3] "Discord Launches Teen-by-Default Settings Globally". Discord. 2026-02-09. Archived from the original on 2026-02-09. Retrieved 2026-02-19.

[4] "Update on a Security Incident Involving Third-Party Customer Service". Discord. 2025-10-03. Archived from the original on 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2026-02-19.

[1]

[1]

[2]

[3]