Discord Age Verification Launched Amid Child Exploitation Lawsuits

New age assurance program was launched as Discord faces a number of lawsuits alleging the platform was used to continue child sexual grooming activities that started on Roblox, after adults posed as children.

Discord officials say the company will begin rolling out a global age assurance program in the United Kingdom and Australia, with worldwide expansion starting in March 2026, as part of an effort to address security failings that have caused the platform to be named in a number of child sexual exploitation lawsuits filed by parents in the U.S.

In a support article posted to the website on February 9, titled “How to Complete Age Assurance on Discord,” the company informed users what is required and how to complete the age verification process. 

Discord is a free communication platform that allows users to connect through text, voice and video chats within organized communities known as servers. Originally popular among gamers, the app is now widely used by students, creators and online groups to host topic-based channels, private messages and live discussions across mobile and desktop devices.

However, over the past year, Discord has been linked to multiple Roblox sexual exploitation lawsuits, involving plaintiffs who claim that adult predators used private servers and messaging features on Discord to communicate with minors they initially met through Roblox.

The complaints suggest that Discord was allegedly used as an off-platform tool to continue grooming, share explicit content or arrange in-person meetings, which could result in sextortion, in-person assaults and lasting emotional harm, including attempted and actual suicides.

Age assurance technology is part of Discord’s broader effort to align with legal requirements and protect younger users by allowing age-restricted content, settings and channels to be accessed only after an age verification process.

Under the age assurance process, users will be asked to verify their age just once, with the verified age group used to manage default settings, control access to sensitive or age-restricted content, and tailor the user experience accordingly.

Users may be asked to verify their age when first attempting actions such as changing sensitive content settings, disabling message request filters or entering age restricted channels. Discord says most verification data, including video selfies used for age estimation or uploaded ID documents, is processed on the user’s device or deleted shortly after review, and remains private to the user.

To complete age assurance, Discord users can choose from multiple methods, including recording a brief video selfie for facial age estimation or scanning a government-issued ID via their mobile device.

While the initial rollout applies only to UK and Australian accounts due to legal mandates, Discord has indicated that users in other regions may encounter age verification prompts as part of ongoing tests and global expansion of the system.

Users who encounter age assurance prompts and successfully complete the process will see their verified status reflected in their account settings. This information is not visible to other community members.

Roblox Sexual Exploitation Lawsuits

Discord’s announcement comes just months after Roblox announced it too was rolling out new age verification technology in September 2025, amid a series of child exploitation lawsuits.

Roblox is a video game construction set originally released in 2006, which allows users to build their own games, explore other player-created worlds and interact with others through in-game purchases and customizable avatars.

However, while the app is marketed as safe and family friendly, the manufacturer currently faces more than 100 federal Roblox child exploitation lawsuits, which have been consolidated before Judge Richard Seeborg in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California since December 2025.

Families filing these Roblox lawsuits are seeking compensation for wide-ranging harms their children may have endured. Potential damages include:

• Medical and therapy costs
• Emotional pain and suffering
• Rehabilitation and educational support
• Wrongful death and survival claims
• Punitive damages

To determine whether you or a loved one may be eligible for a Roblox lawsuit settlement, submit information about your potential claim for review by a lawyer. A confidential evaluation will determine whether compensation may be available. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained.

Sign up for more safety and legal news that could affect you or your family.