Users can either upload a photo of their ID to confirm their age or take a video selfie, where AI will be used to estimate their facial age.
Discord said information used for age checks will not be stored by the platform or the verification company.
It said face scans would not be collected, and ID uploads would be deleted after the verification is complete.
Privacy campaigners have previously warned such methods could pose a risk to people’s privacy.
Discord faced criticism in October after official ID photos of around 70,000 users were potentially leaked after a firm which helped it verify ages was hacked.
Its announcement comes after reports in early January, external said the company was looking to start selling its shares publicly.
With its new measures – which include a teen advisory council – Discord is also echoing Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok and Roblox.
“While forced age verification and safe content by default could be a combination of changes that we see other social networks adopt, I expect they will all be watching how Discord’s implementation lands with its users,” Benvie said.
Social platforms have rolled out a slew of measures to protect teens and children on their sites in recent years after facing increased pressure from lawmakers.
Discord’s boss Jason Citron was grilled about his company’s child safety measures at a fiery US Senate hearing in 2024, alongside alongside Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Snap boss Evan Spiegler and TikTok’s chief Shou Chew.
