Discord age verification expands in March, adding face scan and ID checks for adult access

Discord is preparing to expand age verification worldwide in early March 2026, requiring many users to confirm they are adults before they can unblur sensitive content, enter age-restricted spaces, or turn off certain teen safety settings. The change puts “face scan” age checks and government ID verification at the center of how the platform gates mature content—an approach that has already been tested in a limited rollout in select countries.

The announcement is landing in a privacy-sensitive moment, after a 2025 breach involving a third-party contractor connected to age-verification support and appeals exposed identification images for tens of thousands of users. That history is shaping how people are weighing the new requirements.

What “age verification” means on Discord now

The new model is “teen by default.” Accounts will be treated as teen-appropriate unless Discord can confirm an adult age group. In practice, most users won’t be forced into an identity check simply for chatting in everyday servers.

Prompts generally appear when a user tries to do one of the following:

• Access age-restricted servers or channels

• View or unblur content labeled as sensitive or adult

• Change safety settings that control that experience

If you never interact with age-gated content or settings, you may never see the prompt.

Face scan age verification: how it works

Discord’s face scan option is described as “facial age estimation.” The flow typically asks you to record a short video selfie in-app. The goal is not to identify you by name; it’s to estimate an age range and return an “age group” result.

A key claim in the new rollout is that the facial age estimation runs on-device in real time while you complete the check, and that the facial scan itself does not leave your device. In that setup, Discord receives the age-group outcome rather than the video.

That said, the experience can still feel intrusive. Users are being asked to grant camera access and complete a biometric-adjacent step to unlock features—especially those tied to sensitive content and privacy controls.

Discord ID age verification: what gets submitted

The second option is scanning a government ID. In this flow, users photograph the ID using their phone, usually guided by an on-screen capture tool. The check is handled through vendor partners rather than Discord employees reviewing IDs directly as a routine matter.

Discord has said ID images are used to determine age eligibility and are deleted after verification, with Discord retaining the resulting age group on the account.

For many users, this is the more concerning path: it involves uploading a document that includes a legal name, date of birth, and other identifying details, even if the platform’s intent is limited to age assurance.

Why the change is happening now

Age gating on platforms with mature content has been tightening across multiple regions, driven by child-safety rules and regulator pressure. Discord’s shift is designed to make it harder for minors to access adult spaces and to standardize teen safety defaults across the entire service.

The worldwide rollout is also a response to uneven enforcement: when age checks exist only in certain countries, users can have different experiences depending on location and settings. A global baseline simplifies enforcement, but it also expands how many people may be asked to verify.

Privacy, security, and the shadow of last year’s breach

Discord’s new approach is being judged through the lens of what happened in 2025, when a third-party contractor associated with age-verification appeals and customer support suffered a breach that exposed ID photos for roughly 70,000 users. The incident did not hinge on everyday chat activity, but it heightened fears that any ID-based system can become a high-value target.

Discord’s current messaging emphasizes minimization—age group results instead of identity, on-device processing for face estimation, and deletion of ID images after verification. Even so, users should assume that any system involving IDs increases risk compared with non-document methods, simply because the data is so sensitive.

What to do if you’re prompted

If you see an age check prompt, the immediate decision is which method you’re most comfortable with. If you’re incorrectly categorized as underage, Discord’s materials describe options to retry verification or use an appeal/manual review path.

Key takeaways

• Age verification is expected to expand globally in early March 2026, with “teen by default” settings.

• You may be prompted when accessing age-restricted spaces or changing certain safety controls, not necessarily during normal chat use.

• Face scan checks aim to return an age group result, while ID verification involves photographing a government document through a vendor flow.

• Concerns remain elevated after a 2025 breach tied to third-party age-verification appeals exposed tens of thousands of ID images.

Sources consulted: Discord, TechCrunch, The Verge, The Guardian