Discord To Require Age Verification starting in March

[affa03]

Now I don't use Discord anymore, but I know a fair amount of you guys here do

 

Starting in March, Discord will require age verification via a Government ID or a face scan for 18+ stuff

 

Many people aren't happy about this do to a breach that happened last year in September with over 70.000 ID's being exposed 

 

There's probably more I'm missing so if there is let me know

 

The Verge Article

 

Edit: also if this isnt worth having it's own thread please move to the appropriate channel

Edited February 12 by affa03

[daytonadeath]

I hope that I’m not being an asshole here, but I think that it should expand to every platform on the internet.

Here in Brazil, we have an influencer named Felca who made a video about child exploitation on instagram, twitter, youtube, tiktok etc… 

It seems like a lot of parents use social media to sexually exploit their children– so, when I see grown-ups being against those measures, I cant help but wonder: “why are you annoyed with those regulamentations?”

We need to protect our children from predators, from far-right ideology and from exploitation. And those platforms should help us, as society, to do so, since they’re places where those crimes happens.

I see some children and teens mad at those measures, but I think that they should be mad at those predators who keep those sites unsafe.

 

[daytonadeath]

Oh, and about the data breach: those platforms should be penalized for exposing kids to more danger. We need to protect our children and since those websites are a terrain full of criminals, we also need specific measures to penalize them 

[affa03]

1 minute ago, daytonadeath said:

I hope that I’m not being an asshole here, but I think that it should expand to every platform on the internet.

Here in Brazil, we have an influencer named Felca who made a video about child exploitation on instagram, twitter, youtube, tiktok etc… 

It seems like a lot of parents use social media to sexually exploit their children– so, when I see grown-ups being against those measures, I cant help but wonder: “why are you annoyed with those regulamentations?”

We need to protect our children from predators, from far-right ideology and from exploitation. And those platforms should help us, as society, to do so, since they’re places where those crimes happens.

I see some children and teens mad at those measures, but I think that they should be mad at those predators who keep those sites unsafe.

 

Clock it

 

I do still have concerns for how it'll work but I'm sure everything will hopefully work out properly

[daytonadeath]

2 minutes ago, affa03 said:

Clock it

 

I do still have concerns for how it'll work but I'm sure everything will hopefully work out properly

I mean, I’m 28 (kinda old, huh? Lol) and I grew up with free access to the internet. I was exposed to a lot of shit on websites: predators, scenes of extreme violence, hate crimes etc. 

If I had more protection, I’m sure that I wouldnt be exposed to a lot of bullshit and probably would have a healthier relationship with a lot of things.

I mean, my adolescence was constructed on tumblr (I started to stan Lana there in 2012). We had a lot of pro-ana propaganda; self-harm tips; violent crimes being shown… now i see how fucked up it was.

btw, @affa03 thank you for opening this debate. I really like you!

[affa03]

9 minutes ago, daytonadeath said:

btw, @affa03 thank you for opening this debate. I really like you!

No problem and thank you very much!

 

I really like you too, you're fun to interact with on this site ❤️.

[ColoringBooks]

I understand wanting to protect kids, but I also understand the annoyance and concern because why should these websites have access to our personal information and data? 70,000 IDs already being exposed last year thanks to Discord is crazy. Very shady goose.

 

I'm not sure what other solutions there is to it though, other than it being the parents' job to teach safety protocols and monitor what their kids are doing online.

[daytonadeath]

27 minutes ago, ColoringBooks said:

I understand wanting to protect kids, but I also understand the annoyance and concern because why should these websites have access to our personal information and data? 70,000 IDs already being exposed last year thanks to Discord is crazy. Very shady goose.

 

I'm not sure what other solutions there is to it though, other than it being the parents' job to teach safety protocols and monitor what their kids are doing online.

That’s a great point. Should we trust big tech to take care of our data?

about parents teaching safety protocols: I agree, but I think it should be our duty as a society to protect our children. I mean, if I’m not mistaken, the majority of the perpetrators of violence agains children are within the family (or close to them, like teachers, neighbors etc etc)… 

we didn’t choose to have this children, but, as a society, shouldnt we take care of each other? And, where the fuck is the State? Why arent they taking care of its population? We pay taxes, we do our duties and at the end of the day, the government throw all of its responsibility in the hands of big techs and doesnt care about us?

[dexter]

I think this is a good idea, but I wouldn’t trust them with my id. I don’t use discord but if I did I would just keep my account as an under 18 account 

[Liz Taylor Blues]

Yeah there should definitely be more age identification requirements on sites etc but also those sites need to have better security of it.......

[Lindsay Lohan]

I don't think you should be forced to verify your age unless you are entering 18+ communities.

 

I feel like we are heading in a very strange direction culturally when it comes to censorship that is being disguised as "safety" when really it's about control. Just looking at what's currently happening in the UK is extremely bizarre and even other countries trying to block social media for whatever bullshit reasons. Things like this should be talked about and people shouldn’t be so quick to give away the concept of a free, open internet. One day it's for the children, and the next it's about AI, and then it's about the government and boom no more open internet for anyone.

[Terrence Loves Me]

ridiculous, i saw some horrific things on the internet when i was 15 and i was fine with it 

[Crimson and Clover]

Good. Not to sound like a wacko conspiracist but there’s enough proof that the recent school shootings past few years, especially by trans students, have been linked to nilhistic violent extremist groups such as 764, the Order of Nine Angles, No Lives Matter, etc. Plenty of murders, CSAM cases, and kidnapping cases, etc have also been linked to them. I have just found out about this yesterday and I am in awe.

TW 

For a TLDR: lots of kids (typically mentally ill, ostracized, impressionable, etc) are being groomed on apps like Discord, Roblox, etc by these groups. They’re encouraged to do stuff like self harm, commit suicide, murder, abuse animals, shoot up schools, etc sometimes by adults but also kids their own age, with a goal of chaos, sadism, and acceleration of societal collapse. 764 in particular is considered a terrorist group by a lot of countries right now. 
 

look into it guys, it’s crazy af. This stuff has always existed (e.g Tumblr) but it’s really crazy how much it’s worsening and it’s only going to get worse. I’d be so afraid to have kids with stuff like this happening everyday 

[Honey Dew]

Age verification is the entree to the main course of internet usage control under fascism, which is identity verification, which is the thing that will kill culture and everything good about the internet.

[DeadSeaOfMercury]

5 hours ago, honey dew said:

Age verification is the entree to the main course of internet usage control under fascism, which is identity verification, which is the thing that will kill culture and everything good about the internet.

Yeah I miss when you were able to be more anonymous on the Internet.

It’s getting too 1984 / Big Brother.

-

Kids shouldn’t be on the internet without Parental guidance/supervision until they’re like 18.

I don’t care if this sounds extreme.

They’ll be free from a lot of targeted Advertising,

Scams & Physical Threats,

Physically Healthier,

Probably be better off Mentally,

Having your ID attached to your digital footprint will not end well

[SweetCherryCola]

I've never used Discord so I understand why some people may feel I have no skin in the game to say this, but I'm glad of this as it's high time that any social media and chatroom started rolling out concrete ways to verify identity to make sure kids aren't on anything created for adults. Terrible things have happened to children and teens on these platforms and we can't just say "not my kid, not my problem." I fully respect the right to not have or want children. But that doesn't mean we should be apathetic towards children and not care about their welfare. Even the best parents can't keep an eye on their children 24/7 (nor should they, kids need time alone and with their peers), there's so many ways kids can be exposed to stuff without meaning to and I don't know any teen who wants their parent standing behind them while they're online. If a website states you must be 18 to use it, it's on the website to make sure those rules are enforced by protecting any kids who attempt to use it.

 

Yes, you could say this is all a ruse to invade our privacy but in the case of social chat platforms like Discord specifically, the aim is definitely to protect children, even if it's just money orientated. Let's not mess about, these sites know that if enough parents complain, if enough kids are hurt, if enough lawsuits happen, their cash cow of a website could be shut down and then no one will be allowed to use it. So, yes, protecting children is our imperative. To quote Maury Povich: "Child abuse is all of our business." Telling parents that they're the ones responsible for their kids is all very well but it's not the kids fault if they have shit parents or none at all. They need someone to save them if they don't have parents to do it for them. We want children to grow up healthy and safe, so they can become functioning, upstanding members of society. We're not going to achieve that if we don't care about their welfare.

 

On 2/12/2026 at 10:46 PM, Crimson and Clover said:

Good. Not to sound like a wacko conspiracist but there’s enough proof that the recent school shootings past few years, especially by trans students, have been linked to nilhistic violent extremist groups such as 764, the Order of Nine Angles, No Lives Matter, etc. Plenty of murders, CSAM cases, and kidnapping cases, etc have also been linked to them. I have just found out about this yesterday and I am in awe.

TW 

For a TLDR: lots of kids (typically mentally ill, ostracized, impressionable, etc) are being groomed on apps like Discord, Roblox, etc by these groups. They’re encouraged to do stuff like self harm, commit suicide, murder, abuse animals, shoot up schools, etc sometimes by adults but also kids their own age, with a goal of chaos, sadism, and acceleration of societal collapse. 764 in particular is considered a terrorist group by a lot of countries right now. 
 

look into it guys, it’s crazy af. This stuff has always existed (e.g Tumblr) but it’s really crazy how much it’s worsening and it’s only going to get worse. I’d be so afraid to have kids with stuff like this happening everyday 

 

Thanks so much to you and @daytonadeath for saying this. The sheer scope of these groups and their splinter groups shocked, enraged and saddened me when I discovered it all last year. It's truly terrifying how these groups could result in kids widespread running amuck, disrespecting all authority and bringing about the downfall of society. Weaponised nihilism and psychopathy is an incendiary combination. Not to mention, the details of these poor kids being forced to do the worst possible things to a level of psychological torture that they may never recover from had me in borderline tears. I'll spare the extent of it so that everyone reading this can sleep tonight and not have their new year ruined. I'd always liked the thought of having a child but then stuff like this happens and I wonder if I'd be cut out for it because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my child became one of these victims. The world is cruel and if this age verification stops one 13 year old from being manipulated into cutting themselves by some scumbag stranger through a screen, then the invasion of privacy will be worth it.

[daytonadeath]

6 minutes ago, SweetCherryCola said:

I've never used Discord so I understand why some people may feel I have no skin in the game to say this, but I'm glad of this as it's high time that any social media and chatroom started rolling out concrete ways to verify identity to make sure kids aren't on anything created for adults. Terrible things have happened to children and teens on these platforms and we can't just say "not my kid, not my problem." I fully respect the right to not have or want children. But that doesn't mean we should be apathetic towards children and not care about their welfare. Even the best parents can't keep an eye on their children 24/7 (nor should they, kids need time alone and with their peers), there's so many ways kids can be exposed to stuff without meaning to and I don't any teen who wants their parent standing behind them while they're online. If a website states you must be 18 to use it, it's on the website to make sure those rules are enforced by protecting any kids who attempt to use it.

 

Yes, you could say this is all a ruse to invade our privacy but in the case of social chat platforms like Discord specifically, the aim is definitely to protect children, even if it's just money orientated. Let's not mess about, these sites know that if enough parents complain, if enough kids are hurt, if enough lawsuits happen, their cash cow of a website could be shut down and then no one will be allowed to use it. So, yes, protecting children is our imperative. To quote Maury Povich: "Child abuse is all of our business." Telling parents that they're the ones responsible for their kids is all very well but it's not the kids fault if they have shit parents or none at all. They need someone to save them if they don't have parents to do it for them. We want children to grow up healthy and safe, so they can become functioning, upstanding members of society. We're not going to achieve that if we don't care about their welfare.

 

 

Thanks so much to you and @daytonadeath for saying this. The sheer scope of these groups and their splinter groups shocked, enraged and saddened me when I discovered it all last year. It's truly terrifying how these groups could result in kids widespread running amuck, disrespecting all authority and bringing about the downfall of society. Weaponised nihilism and psychopathy is an incendiary combination. Not to mention, the details of their poor kids being forced to do the worst possible things to a level of psychological torture that they may never recover from had me in borderline tears. I'll spare the extent of it so that everyone reading this can sleep tonight and not have their new year ruined. I'd always liked the thought of having a child but then stuff like this happens and I wonder if I'd be cut out for it because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my child became one of these victims. The world is cruel and if this age verification stops one 13 year old from being manipulated into cutting themselves by some scumbag stranger through a screen, then the invasion of privacy will be worth it.

Exactly!

i’m a psychologyst and all my teenagers patients have been subjected to cyber violence.

I do think that we should talk about online safety with kids, but we still need to talk with ADULTS about it!

the amount of parents who expose their children on instagram, tiktok, youtube etc is alarming. They’re exposing their child to a lot of risks and a majority of them dont even think about it. 
It’s awful and dangerous. Kids and teenagers arent an object that you can expose– even if they’re your own child.

I do get the point of people in here talking about censorship and how we’re being watched all the tome, and they’re correct about it. But, at the same time, we have to think about our biggest enemy in here: the predators.

if i’m not mistaken, here in Brazil,  teen girls were victims of online abuses by colleagues who made AI porn with their face in it.

[leavealighton4me]

this is literally 1971 or whatever that book is called

[DeadSeaOfMercury]

2 minutes ago, leavealighton4me said:

this is literally 1971 or whatever that book is called

1984

[southbeachswing]

I understand the privacy concerns, but it says it requires ID or facial scan to access 18+ adult content, aka pornography servers, and i don’t see the issue with that.  I *really* don’t agree with the notion of having to upload your personal identification or have ur face scanned and stored in order to access anything, but this is to prevent minors from being in a sexually explicit chatroom with adults.  

 

From what I can tell via the articles, they clarified that only a certain group of users, likely the ones identified as being in their early teens or younger would have this implemented on their account as a safeguard.  How they would be able to know is beyond me but again I think people just saw the clickbait headline of “___ requiring face ID” and ran with it.  This is needed for this hellhole app lol