Attracting more and more minors, Discord is regularly accused of exposing its users to numerous dangers, such as inappropriate content or sexual predators. The platform tells us more about its fight against this scourge.
We know that social networks have become omnipresent in our lives. But with their arrival came numerous abuses, observed over time. Depression, development of eating disorders, addictions, suicide, bad encounters… At the forefront are the youngest users, children. And the consequences can sometimes be dramatic.
France 5 recently broadcast an edifying documentary, “Digital Emprise, 5 women against the Big 5”, which highlights different journeys of women in the fight against the largest social networks, namely Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat , X (ex-Twitter) and Discord – it is available in replay.
This is not the first time that issues of this type have been raised. In 2023, an investigation already warned of the presence of pedophiles on Discord. It’s quite simple, the voice, video and text platform which allows teenagers to easily find each other and chat together, while playing their favorite games, had become a real hunting ground for these predators (see our article). Also, this is an opportunity for us to look at the series of initiatives put in place by the company to support parents in the healthy and secure use of the platform by adolescents, in order to see how the situation can improve.
Discord: an intense fight against sexual predators
Discord’s terms of service state, like many social networks, that users must be at least 13 years old to access the platform, except where local rules impose a higher age. However, if you are asked when creating an account to provide your date of birth, it is not uncommon for minors to lie about their age. Questioned on this subject, Savannah Badalich, Senior Director of Policy within the company, ensures that “If a user is flagged as underage for their country, we lock their account until they can verify their age using a government-issued ID.” It remains to be seen how and how often the platform becomes aware of the deception…
What about the fight against the publication and sharing of inappropriate content, particularly by sexual predators? “When we [en] see, we remove the content and take appropriate enforcement action, which may include banning users, shutting down servers, and reporting violent accounts to NCMEC, who in turn works with local law enforcement “explains Savannah Badalich. To do this, the company uses automated search tools that scan photos and videos for inappropriate content, as well as a team of moderators. However, associations for the protection of minors often deplore their numbers being too low and that the moderation system is not very responsive.
“We know this is an industry-wide issue that requires a collaborative approach,” recognizes Mrs. Badalich. “As part of our efforts at the Tech Coalition, Discord is supporting the Lantern initiative, a first-of-its-kind signals sharing program for businesses to improve and strengthen how they detect exploitation and abuse attempts. ‘online sexual abuse of children and adolescents’.
Discord: tools and guides to involve parents and children
In order to raise awareness among younger users, Discord has set up a Teen Charter which presents a set of principles developed with teenagers, for teenagers. The platform has also organized thirty discussion groups around the world to interact with adolescents. “We collected ideas from teenagers and international organizations specializing in teen safety, such as Digital Wellness Lab, NoFiltr’s Youth Innovation Council and ThinkYoung, to create an ambitious charter that helps us understand how teenagers want to feel on Discord.”
These focus groups allowed the company to learn which tools – such as muting a conversation, blocking and reporting – are most useful for teens to address uncomfortable situations. The company has also implemented a Tutor’s Guide in order to offer parents the necessary tools to better understand the platform, its use, and encourage positive online behavior.
They can rely on built-in tools, like Teen Safety Assist, a security alert on senders and sensitive content that automatically blurs media that may be sensitive. It is enabled by default for teenage users. Likewise, a warning system with multiple touchpoints allows users to clearly understand rule violations and the consequences of their actions. “These touchpoints provide greater transparency into Discord’s actions, letting users know how their violation may impact their entire account and providing them with information they can use to become better digital citizens in the future”explains Savannah Badalich.
Protection of minors on Discord: what initiatives in the future?
As part of their commitment to mental wellness for all, Discord recently launched a partnership with ThroughLine Care, a global network of vetted helplines. With a directory of support services in over 100 countries, users can go to discord.findahelpline.com to find free and confidential support in their country, via chat, text or phone. Support is available in eleven different languages. Users can search for available helplines for specific topics, see their hours and contact details, and be connected directly based on their device’s capabilities.
The platform also sponsored Safe In Our World’s inaugural Mental Health Game Dev Champions event. It is a global organization whose mission is to support the mental health and well-being of people working in the video games industry, including
players, developers, publishers, etc. “The event aimed to empower gamers and developers to create intimate and personal video games based on their lived experiences with mental health. During the event, our team also hosted a masterclass on building communities safe on the Discord server Safe in our World”explains Savannah Badalich. All these measures are more than welcome. It remains to be seen whether they will be sufficient to curb what has become a real scourge. And, in view of the historic trial which was held at the beginning of 2024, where the Big 5 were accused of having “blood on my hands”there is work to be done…