New Discord age verification system and filters will rely on oversight from mix of "AI validation and human review," because that always works

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Oh boy

Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Earlier this month, Discord unveiled its plans to roll out an age verification system in March 2026, with global child protection settings set to fall into place alongside it – but, according to a company representative, this will rely on a combination of AI and human oversight.

Speaking in a new statement to GamesMarket, the unnamed official rep first explains how the system will work. "We do not automatically age-gate servers or content related to a specific game based on its rating alone," they clarify.

As for graphic content, Discord's current policy already doesn't allow for material depicting any real violence. "Discord's content safety filters are part of our broader Teen Safety Assist and safety-by-default approach."

False flags are always possible, after all, and are admittedly a regular enough occurrence on other platforms. The use of AI for this sort of stuff is never clear-cut – let's face it, machines can make mistakes.

It's understandable, then, that folks are concerned about how this age verification system will work. This, coupled with the fact that people have found all sorts of creative ways to bypass it all in the UK (Death Stranding 2 faces and all).

I'm not surprised to see the whole age verification thing expanding globally, though. Roblox announced a similar system in November, with "facial age checks to access chat" coming to the platform. It does beg the question… what's next?

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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