Discord will enable global age verification soon
Now's the time to move
Here’s the most recent newsletter in case you missed it!
Back in February, Discord had originally announced that starting in March, all accounts would automatically be considered “teen accounts”. In order to remove it, you would need to prove you’re an adult by either providing a government ID or by going through facial age estimation. In other words, you would have to submit to their age verification measures. On top of that, this was to be rolled out globally. Up to this point, Discord had only enabled age verification where they were legally required to (UK and Australia). Now, this was going to happen worldwide.
There was massive backlash to this development, and by the end of the month, Discord decided to push the global age verification measures to the second half of 2026 while trying to assure users that it’s not as bad as it seems and clarify their plans. Currently, they say that 90% of users will never have to verify or change settings and will have the same Discord as they always have, while the 10% that do will have options.
Make no mistake: Discord is still pursuing global age verification, and it could come as early as next month (they have still not provided an exact date). Instead of waiting for Discord to make an announcement about their plans or hoping that they abandon it altogether, you should move away from Discord and to a platform that will not demand age verification. It will be easier to start now than when they implement their measures.
Because everyone uses Discord for different reasons (e.g., video gaming, tech support, creator communities, friends & family), it’s hard for me to say, “Hey, check out this site or this site.” Instead, I’m going to direct you to AlternativeTo’s page for Discord alternatives. They have tons of alternatives that you can filter through to find out what works best for you and your needs. They even have a filter that focuses on privacy-focused alternatives to Discord, so you can find a platform that better respects your privacy.
Age verification measures only erode users privacy, anonymity, and security and protect no one. We need to fight against these measures, and not giving in to Discord’s measures is one way to not normalize these measures.
Until Next Time,
Monique 🔐
Additional Links for further reading:
Discord’s recent support data breach exposes user info, ID photos, and credit card details
Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
Discord delays global age verification rollout after backlash
Discord Distances Itself From Age Verification Firm After Ties To Palantir’s Peter Thiel Surface
Age verification for social media – the beginning of the end for a free internet?
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