Discord confirms global age verification rollout, will trigger default restricted settings next month

It's been on the horizon for some time, but Discord just officially confirmed it's rolling out age verification measures globally, starting from next month. Due to specific laws in countries such as the United Kingdom, some Discord users have already jumped through the age verification hoops to access the platform's full suite of features and adult content. However, this will now be enforced on all users worldwide.

As part of Discord's "long-standing commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive experience for users over the age of 13," it will soon be enabling "teen-by-default settings" for those that are yet to verify their age and identity. For the most part, Discord's functionality won't change much with these settings applied - there's a high chance the server you have with your mates for gaming sessions won't be impacted. However, when the settings are switched on in "early March," they will stop you from accessing age-gated servers and channels, censor adult or sensitive content, and reroute direct messages from users not on your friends list to a separate inbox. You'll also not be able to be a speaker on server stages, and you'll receive warning prompts whenever you get a friend request from someone Discord believes you don't know.

In order to turn these teen-by-default settings off, you'll need to prove you are an adult. There are three ways in which Discord will be doing this. The first is an AI-powered facial age estimation tool that will scan your face and determine your age, with that data being hosted solely on your device and not being accessed by third parties.

The second involves verification using an ID document that will be processed through Discord's third-party partner. The company assures these documents will be "deleted quickly - in most cases, immediately after age confirmation."

However, there's a chance that you won't have to go through either of these methods, as Discord says it will also be implementing an "age inference model," which is described as " a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age." According to The Verge, this system "analyzes metadata like the types of games a user plays, their activity on Discord, and behavioral signals like signs of working hours or the amount of time they spend on Discord."

There is a chance that multiple methods of verification will be required to lift all the restrictions, so it may not be as simple as just scanning your face or relying on the age inference model.

Discord hasn't given a concrete date for this yet, simply saying that a "phased global rollout to new and existing users" will begin in early March. So, if you sign into your account next month and find you're barred from some of your servers, this'll be why, I'm sure there will be plenty of notifications and obvious signposting from Discord when this does eventually hit your region, but it has at least given a good month or so in warning that it's all going ahead.