Discord has started rolling out its revised age verification policy, according to Engadget, after delaying an earlier plan that would have required facial age estimation or an ID scan for users whose adult status could not be confirmed. The new approach automatically sorts users into Adult or Teen groups using signals such as account age, server membership, and activity levels. Discord says it will not access messages or calls to make that determination, and an individual's age group will not be displayed on their profile or shared with other server members.
For the roughly 90 percent of users placed in the correct group, no further action is needed. Those sorted into an Unconfirmed category can verify they are over 18 using options that may include a credit card, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Google Wallet, the AgeKey credential service, an ID scan, or a video selfie, depending on regional availability. Discord also says third-party age assurance vendors must permanently delete user information after completing the service, and any facial age estimation must run entirely on the user's device.
Accounts placed in the Teen group will face three restrictions: messages from non-friends go to a message requests inbox, with an alert before accepting friend requests from users without mutual friends or shared membership in a small server; sensitive images and adult-only servers, channels, and bot commands are blocked; and full profile details and activity are visible only to friends and members of smaller servers. Users in the Unconfirmed category will be subject to the first two restrictions until they confirm their age.