Key facts
- Discord is rolling out an age verification system globally.
- The system estimates user ages and requires verification for access to age-restricted content.
- Revised verification options include credit card entry, Apple/Google Play Store age sharing, and Google Wallet ID pass.
- Discord stated that vendors process age data and delete it immediately after confirmation.
- The age estimation model analyzes account behavior, not message content.
- Texas has mandated Discord extend UK-style age assurance features to its users.
Discord is implementing a global age verification system that estimates user ages and requires some to prove they are 18 or older to access age-restricted content. The rollout begins Wednesday and will take a few days to reach all accounts.
The company had previously announced a different plan in February but scrapped it due to user backlash over privacy concerns, which were amplified by a 2025 incident where hackers stole government IDs of 70,000 users from a third-party vendor.
The revised system, detailed by CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy, offers multiple privacy-preserving options. Discord's system will automatically estimate ages, placing users into adult (18+), teen (13-17), or unconfirmed groups. Teen users will receive enhanced safety protections, including message requests from non-friends going to a separate inbox and blurred or blocked sensitive images.
Adults needing to verify their age can use options such as entering credit card information (processed by Stripe via k-ID without Discord seeing details), sharing their age range through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, using a Google Wallet ID pass (in select countries), or employing k-ID's AgeKey service.
Discord assures that vendors like k-ID will process age verification and immediately delete uploaded data after confirming the age group, stating the previous vendor involved in the data breach has been retired. Users can check their estimated age group via User Settings > Account Status.
The age estimation model analyzes account behavior, including connected communities, servers, games, activity levels, and account age, but explicitly does not access message content or calls. The model differentiates usage patterns between teens and adults.
Vishnevskiy noted that the expansion of age assurance laws globally, including in Texas and Brazil, necessitated the launch of these solutions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained an injunction requiring Discord to provide Texas users with the same age-assurance features offered in the UK. This move by Texas sets a precedent for Big Tech companies operating in the state.