Discord to make teen settings default, Australia wants a word with Roblox

Discord is rolling out “teen-by-default” settings for all users globally. A release from the messaging platform says “all new and existing users worldwide will have a teen-appropriate experience by default, with updated communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces, and content filtering that preserves the privacy and meaningful connections that define Discord.”

The phased rollout will begin in March – and will mean that users who want to switch on their adult settings “may be required to engage in an age-verification process.” Indeed, Discord declares age assurance to be the “foundation” of its retooled experience. For now, users will be given the option to undergo facial age estimation (FAE), or submit an identity document to third party vendor partners. It promises more options in the future, including an automated, YouTube-style age inference system.

Savannah Badalich, head of product policy at Discord, says the move “builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility.”

Discord insists that its on-device biometric processing means video selfies for FAE never leave a user’s device, and that identity documents submitted to vendor partners are deleted quickly. However, its data retention policy states that “if you submit an ID for an age verification appeal, we will delete it within sixty days after the age appeal ticket is closed.”

The company’s privacy policy does not currently include mention of a specific age verification vendor. However, a support document published this week suggests that the question is jurisdiction-dependent. It mentions k-ID as a supporting platform, and says users in the UK “may be part of an experiment where your information will be processed by an age-assurance vendor, Persona. The information you submit will be temporarily stored for up to 7 days, then deleted.”

Discord made data privacy headlines last year when thousands of its users had their data exposed in a massive breach blamed on Zendesk, Discord’s third-party customer support service provider.

The platform is also forming a Discord Teen Council, “a teen advisory body that brings authentic teen perspectives into how Discord shapes their experience.”

Roblox escapes social media law, but won’t escape Wells

Australian’s Communications Minister Anika Wells wants a word with Roblox. The Sydney Morning Herald says the minister has summoned the social gaming platform to an “urgent meeting,” writing in a letter of her concerns over “reports of children being exposed to graphic and gratuitous user-generated content on the platform, including sexually explicit and suicidal material.”

Although it has a significant social component, Roblox is not covered by Australia’s infamous social media ban for under-16s; eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant excluded Robox because its primary purpose is gaming. The site therefore won the carve-out that the commissioner promised then rescinded from YouTube.

Yet Roblox continues to be an engine for horrible stories: Wells says she was prompted to write her letter by news reports about a 27-year-old man charged with 596 offences relating to 259 children that he allegedly groomed through social media and gaming sites. Australian Federal Police have raised concerns about it being infiltrated by right-wing extremists, Islamic State propaganda and “sadistic gangs goading young girls to harm themselves.”

The platform has been aggressive in insisting its robust approach is leading the way on child safety. It has implemented facial age estimation tech from Persona for its age check for chat requirement.

But Wells says the problems with the platform persist.

“These sorts of harms show why we need a digital duty of care, which will place the onus on digital platforms to proactively keep their users, particularly children, safe.”

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometric age estimation  |  children  |  Discord  |  facial age estimation (FAE)  |  gaming  |  k-ID  |  Persona  |  Roblox