Discord’s age-verification era is upon us, despite community backlash

image via TechCrunch
image via TechCrunch

“Age assurance draws strong opinions and skepticism, especially when it involves sharing biometric information or a form of ID,” Discord CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a blog post, published Tuesday. “At the same time, age assurance laws are expanding, and since my last post we’ve had to launch age assurance in other regions, including in Brazil and in Texas.” However, Vishnevskiy says more than 90% of Discord users won’t have to verify their age. He explains that Discord will instead use existing account data to detect “signals,” like account tenure (how long an account has existed), device and activity data, and other usage patterns, to determine whether a user belongs in the adult, teen, or unconfirmed age group.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/22/discords-age-verification-era-is-upon-us-despite-community-backlash/

How Facebook Marketplace is keeping young people on the platform

image via cnbc.com
image via cnbc.com

Meta’s Facebook’s influence remains strong globally, but younger users are logging in less. Only 32% of U.S. teens use Facebook today, down from 71% in 2014, according to a 2024 Pew Research study. However, Facebook’s resale platform Marketplace is one reason young people are on the platform. “I only use Facebook for Marketplace,” said Mirka Arevalo, a student at Buffalo University. “I go in knowing what I want, not just casually browsing.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/08/how-facebook-marketplace-is-keeping-young-people-on-the-platform-.html

New York moves to limit kids’ access to ‘addictive feeds’

image via techcrunch.com
image via techcrunch.com

Implementing this bill would require social media companies to verify users’ ages. It would also prohibit platforms from sending notifications related to these feeds between the ages of midnight and 6am without parental consent. Companies that violate the law could face penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/09/new-york-moves-to-limit-kids-access-to-addictive-feeds/