29.06.2026
3 min
206
Discord has introduced a new age verification method using algorithms that group users by age. However, shortly after the new system launched, users began encountering errors and access restrictions.
Discord announced a new approach to age verification amid growing pressure from governments demanding that online platforms do more to protect minors. Discord was recently banned in Brazil, while the company is also facing a lawsuit in Texas over concerns about protections for children. The platform, which is especially popular among gamers, is introducing an age-group system that takes into account a user’s Discord history, behavior, and activity across servers.
As with age verification in the UK, Discord will only ask users to confirm their age in certain situations, such as when they try to access age-restricted spaces, content protected by sensitive-content filters, or change specific settings.
“More than 90% of you will not be asked to verify your age,” Discord says.
This means that for most users, age will be estimated algorithmically. If Discord does ask someone to complete an additional verification step, it means the system has already placed that user into a particular age group.
The new system was introduced only recently, but complaints began appearing almost immediately after launch. Problems have affected even verified adult users who have had Discord accounts for many years and have long paid for the Nitro subscription.
“Discord, I’m 26 and I turn 27 in a week. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN,” one user wrote.
Discord acknowledged that the new age verification system contains bugs and commented on the situation in its usual sarcastic style.
“When you launch an extremely popular age verification update that everyone on Discord has been eagerly waiting for, and it has bugs,” the company wrote.
Later, Discord dropped the jokes and said it was working to fix the issues. The company cited cases where verified adult users were unable to access age-restricted servers, as well as inconsistencies in how the system worked across older versions of the app.
Discord later confirmed that the bug preventing verified adults from accessing those servers had been fixed and that consistent functionality across different app versions had been restored.
Discord’s description of the update as “extremely popular” also drew a reaction from users. Some took the wording literally, prompting representatives of the platform to clarify that it was sarcasm.
“No, we are being so fucking sarcastic,” the platform said on X.
Discord acknowledges that the new approach differs from its previous age verification methods, but the company says it is trying to make the process as user-focused as possible. The platform treats age as a separate signal rather than a basis for building user profiles. Instead of determining a person’s exact age, Discord will place users into specific age groups and then use those categories to decide which content and features they can access.
Discord says it will not directly receive users’ biometric data, identity documents, or other information that could be used to identify them personally. That data will instead be handled by the third-party provider K-ID.
K-ID is responsible for collecting the information and, according to Discord, must:
“Collect only the minimum information needed to verify age, and nothing more.”
After the verification process is complete, K-ID must permanently delete the collected data. Users can also choose from several age verification methods, including credit cards, app store payment methods, or the reusable AgeKey age credential. K-ID is prohibited from reusing information collected during age verification for targeted advertising, user profiling, or training artificial intelligence models.
Discord says it will limit data collection to the information needed to determine a user’s age group and provide an appropriate age-based experience. The company also promises to process data locally on the user’s device whenever possible and, where available, offer users more than one method of verifying their age.
Discord is also changing how it handles data to reduce the amount of information stored during the age verification process. Previously, the platform relied on a third-party service to manually review user data, while K-ID will now handle the process. To further reduce the risk of data leaks, Discord emphasizes that it will receive only information about a user’s age group and will not have access to data that could directly identify them.
A user’s age group will also not appear on their profile and will not be visible to other people on Discord.
