What Parents Need To Know About Discord
Here you can learn more about Discord: how your child uses the app, potential risks, the safety features, and what you can do to help keep your children safe.
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A Parent’s Guide to Discord
What is Discord?
Discord is a communication app that started as a way for gamers to chat while playing but has since become a popular platform for anyone to connect over shared interests. The app’s Terms of Service require users to be at least 13 years old, though some areas may mandate a higher age.
Key Features of Discord
- Servers: User-created communities.
- Channels: Topic-specific spaces within servers.
- Go Live / Screen Sharing: Broadcast your screen to others.
- File Sharing: Share images, documents, and other files.
- @mentions: Notify specific users in a chat.
- Roles: Assign titles and permissions to users within a server.
- Bots: Automated programs that can perform various functions, like moderation or playing music.
- Status Updates: Let others know what you’re doing.
How does Discord Keep Your Child Safe?
Apps are ever-changing and so are their features! Please remember to check your or your child’s settings regularly to stay aware of any updates to in-app safety features.
Teen Safety Assist Features
Discord has features that are automatically turned on for all users who have self-reported their age as a teenager, including:
- Sensitive Content Filter: automatically scan and block DMs (direct messages) from non-friends that may contain explicit images.
- Safety Alerts: pop-up notifications that appear when a teen receives a DM from a first-time sender, giving them a chance to block, mute, or get safety tips before they reply.
Friend Request Settings
You can control who can send your child a friend request - from Everyone to Friends of Friends, or Server Members – to help prevent unwanted contact.
- Where can I find this feature?
- On the mobile app: Tap your profile picture > tap the gear icon > select “Privacy & Safety”> Scroll down and select “Friend Request Settings”.
How does Discord Keep Your Child Safe?
Family Center
This tool provides parents with a high-level view of their child’s activity, including who they’re friends with and what servers they’ve joined. To activate this feature, both you and your child must complete the setup process. Your child will generate a QR code from their “Family Center” settings that you’ll need to scan with your Discord app.
- Where can I find this feature?
- On the mobile app: Tap your profile picture > tap the gear icon > scroll down and select “Family Center”.
Reporting Tool
This tool lets users flag content and behavior that breaks the platform’s rules. You should encourage your child to report issues like harassment, bullying, and hate speech, or you can report it for them.
- Where can I find this feature?
- On the mobile app: Press and hold the message > select “Report Message”.
What are the Risks of Discord?
Risk #1: Predators
- Warning Signs
Friend requests/DMs from strangers, conversations becoming personal quickly, requests for secrecy, pressure to move to other apps, and offers of gifts - What You Can Do
Adjust your child’s settings to limit friend requests and direct messages. Talk with them about online safety, like recognizing grooming tactics and knowing what personal information to avoid sharing. Remind them to always block and report suspicious users.
Risk #2: Inappropriate Content
- Warning Signs
Joining “age-restricted” servers, secrecy about their online activity, or sudden screen switching. - What You Can Do
Turn on “Keep Me Safe” and ensure their birth date is accurate in the app. Enable Teen Safety Assist. Talk with your child about what content is appropriate and encourage them to find well-moderated servers.
Risk #3: Cyberbullying
- Warning Signs
Changes in their mood, such as increased sadness or anxiety, or shifts in their behavior like avoiding friends, declining school performance, or changes in their sleep and eating habits. - What You Can Do
Have regular, low-pressure conversations about their online experiences. Show them how to use Discord’s safety tools. Remind them they deserve respect online, and seek professional help if their well-being is at risk.