Should I let my child use Discord?

Are there any safety features available on Discord?

Keep me safe

This setting automatically scans and deletes direct messages that may contain content that goes against its community guidelines.

To enable this setting:

• go to ‘User settings’
• select ‘Privacy and safety’
• then ‘Safe direct messaging’
• you will then need to select ‘Keep me safe’.

Be aware though that this only scans for media content and it won’t pick up text that contains inappropriate or offensive language.

Manage private messages

There are different settings available that will help manage who can contact your child on the platform. By default, your child can be sent a private, direct message (most likely referred to as a DM) by other users who are in the same server as them.

You can disable this by going to:

• ‘User settings’
• ‘Privacy and safety’
• then select ‘Server privacy default’
• move the ‘Allow direct messages from server members’ toggle to off.

Manage friend requests

You can also manage who can send your child a friend request. Being ‘Friends’ on Discord means you can communicate outside of servers. You can access this setting by:

• going into ‘User Settings’
• selecting ‘Privacy & Safety’
• ‘Who Can Add You As A Friend’.

You will then be given three options to help you manage who can add them.

These include:

• everyone – anyone on the platform can add them
• friends of friends – selecting this means that your child will be able to receive friend requests from users who they have mutual friends with ·
• server members – this means that your child can added by anyone who has joined the same server as them.

If you don’t want your child to receive any requests, you can deselect all three options. However, this won’t stop them from sending out friend requests.

You should make sure to talk to your child about not accepting friend requests from users they don’t know.

Top tips to help keep your child safe on Discord

Talk to them about who they are talking to

It’s important to have regular conversations with your child about who they are talking to online. Discuss what apps they are using and set rules around who they can speak to and when.

Remind them to not share personal information on Discord, even with people they know offline.

Tell them to come to you if they come across inappropriate content

Make sure your child knows they can come to you if they see something inappropriate online. You should also remind them that they can always speak to a Childline Counsellor, or another trusted adult if they’d prefer.

The important thing is that they know there is support there if they need it.

Explore other age-appropriate chat apps

If your child enjoys talking to their friends online, you might also want to explore other chat platforms. For example, ones that have more safety settings or parental controls.