Discord is the latest company looking to strengthen child safety (again). Starting in March, all users will have a “teen-friendly experience” by default. Opening adult content and age-rated spaces will require a (usually one-time) verification process.

The massive safety update to the platform covers communication settings, restricted access to age-gated areas and content filtering. Users who have not been verified as adults can see sensitive content blurred. In addition, age-restricted channels, servers and app commands will be blocked. DMs and friend requests from anonymous users will be routed to a separate inbox.

If you’re an adult, removing these restrictions will require one of two launch verification methods. You can take a selfie video for age estimation or submit a government ID to Discord’s vendor partners. (Let’s hope the age estimates works better than Roblox.) The company emphasizes that the video selfies you submit for age estimation never leave your device. And it claims that ID documents sent to its vendor partners are quickly deleted, “in most cases, immediately after age verification.”

Although Discord says the process is one-and-done for most people, some may need to submit multiple verification forms. It also says more verification options are coming in the future, including an age inference model running in the background.

This is not the company’s first attempt at improving child safety measures. In 2023, it is banned teen dating channels and AI-generated CSAM. Later that year, it was added content filters and automatic warnings. Those changes follow a NBC News report that 35 adults have been charged with “kidnapping, grooming or sexual assault” involving Discord communication.

Along with today’s changes, Discord is recruiting for a new Teen Council. The group will include 10 to 12 teenagers aged 13 to 17. The company says it will “help ensure that Discord understands – not assumes – what teenagers need, how they can make meaningful connections, and what makes them feel safe and supported online.” It sounds like the corporate equivalent of parenting advice: “Just don’t talk on your children; listen to them too.”

The child safety changes will begin rolling out worldwide in early March. New and existing users must submit verification for mature content.