Gaming, Social Media
What Is Discord and Is It Safe? A Discord App Review for Parents
Overview
If your kids are really into gaming, odds are you’ve probably heard them talking about Discord. But what is Discord? Put simply, it’s a messaging app that’s similar to Slack or GroupMe. Users can join different “servers” that are like themed chat rooms that feature text, voice, and video chat. Servers can revolve around any topic — from huge public servers where thousands of video game fans congregate to small, private groups of friends.
Harmful Content 😲
There are more than 19 million different servers on Discord, which means that the potential for inappropriate content is very high. NSFW (not safe for work) servers are common, and include porn, sexual content, and more. There are also servers about violence, conspiracy theories, and just about anything else you could think of.
Predation 🚨
More than 150 million people of all ages use Discord every month. And where there’s a group of strangers meeting on the internet, there’s always the possibility of predators manipulating and abusing children. Because Discord is a well-known destination for gamers (a popular pastime for kids), kids may fall victim to adults pretending to be kids.
Positive Value 💙
Discord helps people stay in touch and communicate, and for kids, it can be a big part of their social lives. For friends that live far away, it can be a good way to hear their voices while playing video games together. Study groups also use Discord, as do sports teams, clubs, and even just small groups of friends who want a group chat.
Privacy 🔒
Discord’s parental controls (discussed in the next section) can help you manage who can contact your child while they’re using the app. For added security, we recommend a username that doesn’t have personally identifiable information, like full name, school name/mascot, or birth year.
Parental Controls ✅
Discord has several features that you can toggle on to help keep your child safe, but unfortunately, your kid can turn them off at any time as they’re not password protected by you.
These features include:
- Explicit content filters in DMs
- DM settings, including who can message your child
- Friend request settings, including who can add your child as a friend
- Blocking
Bark also provides help with managing Discord. We’re here to help you keep your kid safe by allowing you to:
- Block Discord entirely, if needed.
- Manage when your child can use Discord throughout the day.
- Monitor group and individual DMs (text chat only) on Android devices.
We’re continually advocating and working for Discord to allow iOS monitoring.
So, should my kid download it?
Probably not until they’re older, around 15 or 16. Discord is wildly popular with gamers, and teens who are mature enough to not go exploring some of the sketchier servers may be okay. What is Discord’s main danger? Inappropriate content for sure — so be careful to keep the line of communication open if your kid is using it.
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