Discord is preparing to introduce age verification worldwide, confirming that from next month all accounts will default to a “teen-appropriate” setting unless users prove they are adults.

Under the new framework, those who do not verify as adults will face tighter restrictions across the platform. Access to age-restricted servers and channels will be blocked, participation in Discord’s livestream-style “stage” channels will be disabled, and filters will automatically screen out content identified as graphic or sensitive. Additional safeguards will include warning prompts for friend requests from unfamiliar users and the automatic filtering of direct messages from unknown contacts into a separate inbox.

While standard direct messages and non age-restricted servers will continue to operate as normal, access to restricted communities will be cut off until verification is completed. That applies even to servers users had previously joined before the new system takes effect. Discord executive Peter Sellis said those servers will be “obfuscated” with a black screen until adulthood is confirmed. Users will also be prevented from joining any new age-restricted servers without first passing the age check.

The global rollout follows similar measures introduced by other online platforms amid increasing legal and regulatory pressure for stricter child safety protections. Discord has previously tested age verification in the UK and Australia, where checks were introduced last year.

If Discord’s automated age inference model cannot determine a user’s age, additional steps may be required. According to the company, to remove the new “teen-by-default” changes and limitations, “users can choose to use facial age estimation or submit a form of identification to [Discord’s] vendor partners, with more options coming in the future.”