Discord Struggles with Its Second Age Verification Rollout

Discord has begun implementing its new age verification system for all users, aiming to address the backlash it faced during its previous attempt in February. This time, the platform is providing a variety of methods to verify age, hoping to ease concerns and frustrations.

Last week, Discord activated the age verification feature, which estimates a user’s age based on factors like account age, community memberships, and linked games. The company assures users that it does not analyze messages or calls for age estimation. According to Discord, around 90% of users will not need to undergo age verification due to this estimation process.

For adult users who are correctly identified, there are no changes, and they can continue using Discord as usual. However, teen users will face new restrictions. Messages from non-friends will be filtered into a separate inbox for review, and users will receive additional warnings when receiving friend requests from individuals without mutual connections. Access to age-restricted channels and bot commands will also be limited, and teen profiles will only be visible to friends and members of smaller servers.

As expected, the rollout has not been without its issues. Some users have reported being incorrectly categorized or not categorized at all, which has restricted their access to certain features. Others have experienced discrepancies between platforms, such as being verified as an adult on one device but not on another. This has created significant frustration for long-time users.

In response to the backlash, Discord posted a sarcastic tweet referencing the bugs in the age verification update, which did not sit well with many users. The tweet was met with criticism, with some users feeling that the company was not taking the situation seriously. This led to threats of account closures and even memes depicting Discord’s mascot in distress.

Following the negative reactions, Discord issued a more serious follow-up message, acknowledging the issues and stating that it was actively working to resolve them.

Earlier this year, Discord had attempted to launch a similar age verification system but faced significant backlash over its methods, which included requiring face scans and government ID uploads. Concerns about privacy were heightened after a data breach in 2025, where hackers stole IDs from thousands of users.

After that initial attempt, Discord promised to revise its approach and has now introduced more options for age verification, including credit card checks and Google Wallet connections, while ensuring that it does not store or read sensitive information. The company has also been more transparent about the third-party services it is using for these verifications.

Discord’s CTO explained that the push for age verification is driven by increasing legal requirements in various regions, emphasizing the need for privacy-preserving methods. Despite the ongoing concerns and user frustrations, Discord is committed to moving forward with the rollout and has no plans to delay or reverse its implementation.