Discord is verifying some users’ age with ID and facial scans

Discord is preventing some users from accessing sensitive content unless they allow the platform to verify their age by scanning their face or ID. The new age verification process is described as an “experiment” by Discord, and is being trialed in the United Kingdom and Australia in response to local laws that require online platforms to have guardrails in place for safeguarding children.

The new face and ID scanning requirements only apply to Discord users who haven’t previously verified their age on the platform. Discord says this is a “one-time process” that will be triggered in two situations: when users are exposed to nude or sexually explicit content that’s been flagged by Discord’s sensitive media filter, or when users attempt to change filter control settings to prevent such content from being blurred or blocked. 

An age verification window will then appear that prompts the user to either allow Discord to access their device camera and scan their face, or submit a photograph of their ID by scanning a QR code via their phone.

<img src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Discord-age-verification-scan.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,18.285647888672,100,63.428704222657" alt="A screenshot showing a Discord window asking users to submit a face or ID scan to verify their age." title="A screenshot showing a Discord …read more