Safety guide
Is Discord safe for children?
Discord requires users to be 13+. Its risk comes from servers and direct messages putting a child in contact with strangers, so the key steps are limiting who can DM them, enabling content filtering, and linking Family Center.
Last updated July 10, 2026
Recommended age
Minimum age 13. Exposure comes from shared servers and DMs rather than a public profile.
Local rules to check
- Platform minimums are a baseline. Local privacy or online-safety law can still require parental consent or a higher access age.
- EU/UK digital-consent thresholds vary by country: UK and Portugal 13; Italy and Spain 14; France 15; Germany 16.
- United States: COPPA rules apply under 13, and state social-media laws may add stricter account rules.
- Discord publishes higher local minimums in several countries; for SafeSocials locales, Spain and Italy are 14+, France is 15+, Germany is 16+, and Portugal/UK use the 13+ baseline.
Main risks
- Minimum age is 13 — below that, the app isn’t designed for a child that age.
- Shared servers can place your child in contact with strangers outside their friend list.
- Discord has no public-account model; exposure comes from servers and direct messages.
Safety settings checklist for Discord
Direct messages restricted to known contacts
High priorityLimit who can send direct messages to existing contacts only.
Parental supervision linked
High priorityLink the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
Livestreaming disabled
Medium priorityDisable livestreaming for the account.
Not discoverable by strangers
Medium priorityTurn off account suggestions and find-by-phone/email so strangers can't discover the account.
Sensitive-content filter / restricted mode on
Medium priorityEnable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
Identifying info minimized
Medium priorityRemove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
Screen-time / usage limits set
Lower prioritySet daily screen-time or usage limits.
Activity status / read receipts off
Lower priorityTurn off activity status and read receipts.
Talking to your child
- Ask what they like about the app before talking about risks — lead with curiosity, not a lecture.
- Agree the settings together at the same screen, so it feels like a shared decision, not a punishment.
- Make it normal to tell you about anything uncomfortable — no blame for messages they didn’t ask for.
- Revisit the settings every few months; apps change defaults and your child’s use changes too.
Get a free safety score in 2 minutes
Answer a few questions and see exactly which settings to change on Discord — with the option of a full report.
Sources
Related guides
Safety settings checklist for Discord
Tick each setting once you have changed it.
- Direct messages restricted to known contacts — Limit who can send direct messages to existing contacts only.
- Parental supervision linked — Link the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
- Livestreaming disabled — Disable livestreaming for the account.
- Not discoverable by strangers — Turn off account suggestions and find-by-phone/email so strangers can't discover the account.
- Sensitive-content filter / restricted mode on — Enable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
- Identifying info minimized — Remove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
- Screen-time / usage limits set — Set daily screen-time or usage limits.
- Activity status / read receipts off — Turn off activity status and read receipts.
Official Discord safety information: https://discord.com/safety
SafeSocials gives general guidance, not a guarantee that an app is safe.
safesocials.eu