Discord Tests Face Scans And ID Requests For Age Verification

The social platform Discord is testing a new age verification system in Australia and the United Kingdom, scanning users’ faces and requesting official government identification to access certain content.

According to GameSpot, the verification process used by the popular platform among gamers includes every device—even PlayStation 5 and Xbox—but the company hasn’t disclosed for how long this methodology will be tested or if it will be expanded to other countries as well.

Users trying to interact with content that Discord has flagged as “harmful” or sensitive through its filters get a pop-up request to verify age with an ID—such as a driver’s license—or a face scan. After receiving the information, within just a few minutes, the user gets a message with an age group category.

After Discord assigns a user to an age group, it doesn’t request the verification again, unless they request a re-verification—probably as they get older.

Discord shared a “How to verify your Age Group” in its support section, with more details of this update.

“Some Discord settings and content are designed for certain age groups,” states the document. “We’re experimenting with a streamlined way for you to verify your age group when you try to access those settings or content.”

If the user’s age is below the minimum age required, users could get their accounts banned, but have the right to appeal if they consider it unfair.

Age verification systems for social media platforms have been a heated debate in the past few months. Australia recently became the first country in the world to ban social media platforms for children under 16 officially, but a recent study revealed that children can easily bypass age verification systems used by popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, Reddit, and Discord. And the UK has been investigating social media platforms over children’s data privacy and recently became the first country to criminalize AI-generated child abuse content.

Discord’s new update could set an example for other platforms and begin a new shift in the industry that complies more with government requirements for child protection.