In brief: the changes announced by Discord on February 9th, 2026 will observe the activity of online users (with or without their consent) through a background AI algorithm and classify them via an age rating, restricting access to content unless they identify themselves with either an Official ID (which people may not have) or face recognition (which is an imperfect technology that can very well incorrectly guess the age of a person). This violates online privacy, opens the door to identify theft, and infantilizes users by treating them by default like children unable to take care of themselves and in need of protection. This petition aims at stopping this change, and letting users freely interact with the platform.

(The text above is all you need to read. There is further details in the text below if you are interested.)

Full text: The changes recently announced by Discord on February 9th, 2026 will implement sweeping changes to the way Discord users access content and communicate with each other. While those changes are justified as "teen safety features […] that reinforce its long-standing commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive experience for users over the age of 13", what it does in practice is allow widespread violation of online privacy and restrictions of content. 

As it was currently announced, the app will use a background AI model to observe user activity (with or without their consent), before classifying them with an estimated age, which can heavily restrict content on the platform. I will quote the following statement of the announcement: "Additionally, Discord will implement its age inference model, a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age."

This is a gross violation of online privacy, and will no doubt lead to arbitrary classification of users which can restrict:

• content seen as sensitive (which will no longer be accessible for "teenagers")
• Entire channels, servers or commands classified as "adult" (which will be unusable for "teenagers")
• Restrictions to speaking on stage (which will now be "adult" only)

The reason for those quotation marks is because what is classified as a "teenager" is, simply, a user that has not shown either their face or an official ID to the app, and has been classified as such through an algorithm. 

While Discord has made sure to think of privacy measures (such as "quick deletion" of identity documents), the simple act of giving those identifying factors, however briefly, opens the door to identity theft, with the possibility of huge repercussions to individuals.

However, worst of all is the infantilization of users across the board. Those who do not want to verify themselves (which could be for a variety of valid reasons, such as having a young-looking face or not having an official ID) are treated as incapable of taking care of themselves, and are restricted and watched over like an overprotective parent. 

Meanwhile, the reason why such platforms were created in the first place ("build meaningful connections") is being trampled upon for the sake of building a "safer and more inclusive experience".

There is valid reasons to want to protect children, but this is not the way to do it.

(You can find the Discord announcement at the following link: https://discord.com/press-releases/discord-launches-teen-by-default-settings-globally