The rollout builds on Discord’s gaming ecosystem integrations and evolving safety measures designed to protect younger users.

The announcement follows prior regulatory scrutiny and a related lawsuit over alleged exploitation, and comes as Discord contemplates a potential public offering.

Discord will roll out age verification globally in March with a teen-by-default setting, restricting access to age-restricted channels, adult content, and certain features until verification is completed.

Verification methods include facial age estimation via video selfies or submitting government IDs to partner vendors, with assurances that video data stays on the user’s device and ID data is deleted after confirmation.

Users will see warnings on friend requests from potentially unknown accounts and prompts when trying to access restricted spaces.

Discord acknowledges some users may exit due to the changes and says it will try to retain users through alternative means.

The article notes the source release and background context about the author and platform as ancillary details to the core announcement.

Past incidents, including a breach exposing ID data from a third-party vendor, inform Discord’s heightened caution in this safety push.

The changes extend 2025 regional rollouts in Australia and the UK, align with broader safety goals, and support Teen Council expansion to involve more adolescents.

The approach references Roblox’s age-verification system, notes prior UK testing in 2025, and addresses concerns about government ID data.

The move is framed alongside Roblox and other platforms amid ongoing US discussions about age verification and privacy.

The article places Discord’s changes within broader gaming news, including potential Xbox ecosystem developments and PlayStation 6 rumors.