Discord age restrictions prevent an underage user from viewing - but not sending - nude pictures.
This isn't to protect kids. It's to enforce increasingly authoritarian control over the web.
this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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Discord probably did the math and are willing to take a hit to the user counts (much like reddit did when they closed the apis), as the vast majority will stay and keep "threatening" to leave. There's at least the hope that the ones who quit now will establish communities elsewhere, on a (hopefully) better server platform.
Enshittification is not single step. It's more a "boiling a frog"-kinda process.
Discord itself was a big step of enshittification from the very start when communities moved from individual platforms to Discord servers.
Sometimes I like to remember when Nitro was like 5 bucks and gave a bunch of stuff, and now it is 10 bucks gives less AND they still try to sell me fucking cosmetics...
I dropped my Nitro when they announced a possible buyout/IPO
It probably also says something of the ones that stay: they can keep getting further exploited. And these are the ones they want.
Same tactic used by scammers sending "bad" messages - it's at least partially in purpose to single out the good marks.
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Here's hoping this gets more software off the discord support teat. No, you do not need real time chat, you need searchable, permanent presence. Discord support is such a red flag I immediately move on even if it's OSS. If you can't do real doco and you can't stand up a forum (Discourse is nice I hear) then what chance do you have of being competent.
Also, IPO incoming, expect it to get worse.
Also, IPO incoming, expect it to get worse.
Is it? Ah, well that would explain it.
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Account deleted. Fuck em. Was already pissed with their restrictions with nitro.
Maybe people will finally realize discord isn't the place for your projects documentation to exist
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Why do adults have to suffer because parents don’t know how to control their kids?
Because it's not actually about the kids, the kids are just the excuse. That's all they ever are.
Good! locking away potentially helpful Q&A, discussions, and guides on Discord is fucking stupid.
I hope this means people will slowly start going back to forums. Highly doubt it though.
Discord really is a plague for the open internet yep
I just want to be able to web search shit from forums like I used to be able to 10+ years ago.
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Worried about the children while protecting thousands of paedophiles that raped children. (The governments, not discord)
Regardless, fuck discord and instead of "threatening" an exodus, why doesn't everybody register with xmpp or mumble and figure it out from there. Crazy staying on discord from here on.
The problem is finding a good alternative immediately. I don't mind to hop and check out multiple services, but some of my friends wants to just install one thing and be done.
My checklist is not too much either, but for some reason video calling is not something included with the lot of them.
Self-hosting a matrix instance might be an okay alternative. And because its decentralized its not really possible for it to have top-down age verification imposed on it, if it ever does get popular
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So happy. Discord sucks.
Yeah, I agree. I hope Discord both fails as a company and as a concept.
Information siloed inside a non-easily searchable interface? No thank you.
Sadly, but another good platform has rotten.
Discord thinks that it is important. Good news that it isn't. And even if there is no good substitute, then it is possible to abandon Discord by just quitting and not looking for any alternatives. Like if your local market stopped having aubergines then you can just stop even wanting them. Not a big deal.
Not a big deal to you
There are other people in the world that live different lives than you. Some of us use it as a primary messaging platform. It's how I talk to most friends and family
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Sadly I think the end result of this won't be people leaving discord, but people giving up liberties because it's easier than fighting it
And they're banking on that, it's part of why they intentionally gave zero warning...1 month is nothing.
With more time a dedicated set of people could pull the alternatives up into solid real options
Or kick up such a huge ruckus that discord back down and undo it.
This was a very intentional and malicious choice to go "oh, yeah we're doing this next month, kthnxbye"
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Do it, pussies. I remember when sites would actually topple when they made poor decisions.
I could just be me being a doomer, but I doubt any significant exodus will happen. People really about to drop discord? Right…
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I deleted my Discord account last night. Good riddance.
I'm not threatening, I'm gonna do it. We'll see how my game jams go after this. I doubt my entire community will follow me.
Edit: I downloaded Element X for Matrix, and it seems to only be capable of creating a single chat similar to WhatsApp. Tried to download Revolt, and I cant get that one to even send me a verification code to my email. Starting of strong here...
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sure they're leaving but...where? what's a viable alternative?
I mean if I had it my way everyone would just go back to IRC, I still use IRC. it's great, nothings changed, it's perfect. combine that with like mumble or teamspeak and you're good to go.
I checked out Stoat lastnight and it's very slow. took well over an hour to get a verification email (I assume because many others were signing up) and the current server offerings are minimal. Also a good majority of the themes listed simply don't work. it's growing and I'd say it's the best alternative right now but it's not there yet and I worry it or the various instances of it could hold up if there was a massive Discord exodus.
Matrix is a no and xmpp ain't much better.
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