Why Discord has delayed global age verification of its accounts
What's the story
Discord has postponed its global age verification rollout, which was initially planned for March. The company announced the delay yesterday, saying that the new timeline is now set for the second half of 2026. The decision comes after widespread criticism from users over the proposed changes to their platform experience.
Controversy
Initial plans and user concerns
Discord's initial plan was to automatically switch all users to a "teen-appropriate experience" until they verified their age as adults. This move drew heavy criticism from the user community, prompting Discord to clarify that 90% of its users won't need age verification. The company said most users don't interact with age-restricted content and its internal safety systems can determine the ages of many adult accounts.
Clarification
Addressing the controversy
Discord's CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy addressed the controversy in a blog post, admitting they anticipated this rollout would be contentious. He said, "Any time you introduce something that touches identity and verification, people are going to have strong feelings. Rightfully so." Vishnevskiy clarified that not all users would be required to undergo face scans or ID uploads for age verification.
Expansion plans
Alternative age verification methods
Vishnevskiy also revealed that Discord will offer alternative age verification methods, including credit card verification, before its global rollout. He emphasized that users who choose not to verify their age will still keep their account, servers, friends list, DMs and voice chat. The only change would be restricted access to age-restricted content or certain default safety settings designed for teen protection.
Transparency
Transparency in vendor selection
Discord also plans to share details about each verification vendor and their data practices on its website. The company has promised to clearly identify which vendor is being used for age verification. In light of recent criticism, Discord has also decided to partner only with vendors that conduct the entire age-verification process on the user's device.
Vendor problem
Distancing from Persona
Discord is distancing itself from Persona, a vendor that drew criticism for its third-party data use and government partnerships. The company had previously disclosed that a security breach at a third-party vendor exposed sensitive data of around 70,000 users. However, Discord has since severed ties with the involved vendor and is working to ensure such incidents don't happen again in the future.