Discord, a popular chat app among gamers, has introduced new safety features to help parents monitor their teenagers’ activity. The company’s Family Center will now provide parents with information about their teen’s top contacts, including the five users they most frequently message and call, as well as the servers they interact with. Parents will also be able to view their teen’s total call minutes and purchases made within the app. This data is only available for the past week, and parents must check their email summaries to review earlier activity.
In addition to these monitoring tools, Discord has added features that allow teens to alert their parents when they report objectionable content. Parents can enable settings such as sensitive‑content filters and direct‑message controls, and they can choose who is allowed to send direct messages to their teen—whether only friends or other server members.
These features were developed in response to feedback from parents and organizations, including the National Parent Teacher Association and the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. Discord’s rollout comes amid increased scrutiny over its handling of user safety, particularly regarding the protection of young users from predators. The app has faced criticism for allowing bad actors to target minors and has been named as a defendant in several lawsuits.
Some advocacy groups argue that the new safety features do not go far enough and that the burden of ensuring user safety should not fall solely on parents. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which previously listed Discord among the “Dirty Dozen” companies contributing to sexual exploitation, said the updates fail to address the platform’s history of failing to protect children. A lawsuit filed earlier this year alleged that Discord and another gaming platform, Roblox, created a “breeding ground for predators,” enabling a perpetrator to groom and exploit an 11‑year‑old girl.
While Discord’s new safety tools represent a step in the right direction, they may not fully satisfy the concerns of parents and advocacy groups. The company states it takes a “holistic view” of teen safety, proactively identifying and flagging content and accounts that could put users at risk. Nonetheless, Discord continues to face significant challenges in balancing user safety with privacy. As it rolls out additional features, prioritizing transparency and communication with parents and users will be essential.
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