Social platform · Medium risk
Is Discord safe for your child?
Age guide
13+
We advise Discord from age 13 and up. Overall risk 6/10 (medium risk).
- 5-8
- Discord is not recommended for this age group due to its 13+ age rating and features like voice chat and direct messaging.
- 9-12
- Discord is not recommended for this age group, as its primary features involve unmoderated chat rooms and direct communication, which are not suitable for younger children.
- 13-15
- At this age, teens may use Discord for gaming communities and school groups, encountering features like private DMs, voice channels, and custom server roles.
- 16+
- Older teens might engage in larger, more diverse communities on Discord, potentially using features like stage channels for events or integrating with other platforms for content creation.
Discord is a communication platform designed primarily for creating communities. Users can join servers based on their interests, where they can chat via text, voice, or video. While it offers a space for gamers and hobbyists to connect, it also poses risks such as exposure to inappropriate content and interactions with strangers. Parents should be aware of how their children use the platform and the potential dangers involved.
- Age guide
- 13+
- Overall risk
- 6/10
- Violence
- 2/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 6/10
- Stranger contact
- 7/10
- Addiction risk
- 8/10
- Language
- 5/10
- Influence
- 6/10
What parents should know
Discord is a communication platform primarily used for voice, video, and text chat, often centered around specific communities like gaming or school groups. Its robust features, including direct messaging and private servers, require careful privacy settings and ongoing conversations about online safety. The platform's 13+ age rating is due to the potential for exposure to unmoderated content and interactions with strangers.
What to do about Discord
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for Discord is 13+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Discord setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Discord without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Discord that mean it is time to step in.
Discord age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Discord?
Parentwise puts Discord at 13+. We advise Discord from age 13 and up. Overall risk 6/10 (medium risk). Violence scores 2/10, language 5/10, stranger contact 7/10 and addiction risk 8/10.
Can a 10 year old use Discord?
Not by default: we advise Discord from 13+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Discord is not recommended for this age group, as its primary features involve unmoderated chat rooms and direct communication, which are not suitable for younger children.
Can a 12 year old use Discord?
Not by default: we advise Discord from 13+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Discord is not recommended for this age group, as its primary features involve unmoderated chat rooms and direct communication, which are not suitable for younger children.
Can a 13 year old use Discord?
Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for Discord (13+). At this age, teens may use Discord for gaming communities and school groups, encountering features like private DMs, voice channels, and custom server roles.
Is Discord appropriate for kids?
Discord is a communication platform primarily used for voice, video, and text chat, often centered around specific communities like gaming or school groups. Parentwise rates Discord overall as medium risk (6/10), with stranger contact at 7/10 and addiction risk at 8/10.
Is Discord family friendly?
Discord sits in the middle: fine with settings changed and an occasional check-in. Its robust features, including direct messaging and private servers, require careful privacy settings and ongoing conversations about online safety.
Discord parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Discord is a communication platform primarily used for voice, video, and text chat, often centered around specific communities like gaming or school groups. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (7/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (8/10).
Is Discord safe for kids?
We advise Discord from age 13 and up. Overall risk 6/10 (medium risk). Its robust features, including direct messaging and private servers, require careful privacy settings and ongoing conversations about online safety.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.