Discord has introduced its new settings for teenagers, a suite of enhanced features aimed at providing a safer and more inclusive experience for users over the age of 13. This announcement comes at a time when the global conversation is centered around the dangers that social networks pose to young people, and the measures proposed by various governments, such as Spain’s, to limit or prohibit access to minors under 16 years of age.
The teenager settings will be implemented globally for both new and existing profiles and will offer a default experience with age-restricted access to certain spaces and content filters. Discord states that it seeks to preserve the privacy and safety of younger users while maintaining its community spirit and the ability to foster meaningful connections.
Savannah Badalich, Director of Product Policy at Discord, stated: “Nowhere is our safety work more important than when it concerns teenage users; that is why we are announcing these updates in time for Safer Internet Day. Implementing default global settings for teenagers adds to Discord’s existing safety architecture, providing robust protections for young people and flexibility for verified adults. We design our products with the principles of youth safety at their core and will continue to work with experts, legislators, and users to promote meaningful and lasting well-being on the platform.”
Discord will offer various age verification methods to its users, such as facial biometrics or the option to submit identification documents to its partner providers. In addition, the platform will implement an age inference model that will run in the background and be able to determine whether a profile belongs to an adult, without relying on explicit age verification by the user.
Once the process is complete, the user will receive a direct message from the official Discord account confirming verification. The assigned age group can be viewed at any time by accessing the “My Account” settings. Likewise, from the same section, an appeal may be lodged if the assigned age group is found to be incorrect.
To prevent its users from becoming victims of scams or sharing sensitive information with cybercriminals, the platform explained: “Discord only asks users to verify their age within Discord and currently does not send emails or text messages regarding the verification process or its outcomes.”
Furthermore, to ensure that the verification process is secure—both for user privacy and the data shared—Discord has established a series of protective measures:
Starting in early March, all Discord accounts will receive new default settings that tailor experiences according to the owner’s age while keeping privacy at the forefront. The new settings that define each experience are as follows:
Discord aims to implement measures that take into account the needs and perspectives of teenagers, and for this purpose, values direct testimony from young people. This is how the Discord Teen Advisory Council is formed: an advisory body made up of 10 to 12 young individuals who “will help ensure that Discord understands, rather than assumes, what teenagers need, how they build meaningful connections, and what makes them feel safe and supported online.”
Discord will consider input from the Teen Advisory Council when defining and implementing future platform features, as well as policies and educational resources. The application period to become a member of the Teen Advisory Council has already begun and will remain open until May 1 of this year, but only for young people between 13 and 17 years of age residing in the United States.
In recent weeks, we have witnessed the intensification of the debate about the effects of social networks on young people. Governments such as those of Spain, Australia, and France are actively engaged, to varying extents, in processes to pass measures that restrict social network usage by minors.
Social networks possess a very dark side, where hatred, discrimination, and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes are commonplace. Furthermore, anonymity has become a shield behind which individuals can act with impunity to attack or harm others. These factors, combined with the addictive design intended to maximize the time people spend within these digital spaces at any cost, make social networks a dangerous cocktail that we ought not to let minors consume alone and without prior digital education.
We are becoming increasingly aware of this reality, and more and more voices are raising concerns about these issues. A clear example is the trial that has just begun in Los Angeles, United States, in which a 20-year-old woman accuses Meta and Google of having harmed her mental health during her childhood and adolescence. Specifically, the young woman asserts that the addictive design of platforms like Instagram and YouTube caused her depression, self-esteem issues, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
Closer to home, in Europe, the European Commission has just established, on a preliminary basis, that TikTok violates the Digital Services Act because of its addictive design (infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and its highly personalized recommendation system). This conclusion comes after two years of investigations, and the platform is now required to modify its design to protect minors.
Photo: generated with Nano Banana Pro (Gemini)
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Δ