Discord is a widely-used app that lets people communicate through text, voice, and video. Initially created for gamers, it has since grown to serve a variety of communities, including hobby groups, educational circles, and more. With its growing popularity among teenagers, ensuring a safe and appropriate experience on the platform for your child is essential.
Below, you'll find an overview of the parental controls available on Discord to help guide you in protecting your child while they use the platform. These tools allow you to regulate what your child can see, who they can interact with, and how they use the app, helping to create a safer online space for them.
Warning: The child has the option to remove the Parent’s account on the Family Center.
User Age Limit: Discord's Terms of Service require users to be at least 13 years old to use the platform or else Discord will delete the account.
*Your child must be at least 13 years old; otherwise, Discord will not permit the registration of their account. If your child is under the age of 13 and you wish to allow them to use the app, it is important to adjust their account settings accordingly.
To ensure compliance and provide a safer experience, you can set your child’s birthdate to reflect an age between 13 and 17 years old. This adjustment aligns their account with age-appropriate features and safeguards within the platform. (The age limit may vary based on regional regulations.) Kindly refer to this link for more information:
https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040724612-Why-is-Discord-asking-for-my-birthday
*We recommend using an adult Google account instead of a Google Family Link account.
Setting Up Discord on Parent's Phone
- Download Discord from the Google Play Store (Android) or Apple App Store (iOS)
- Create a Discord account or log in if you already have one.
- Go to User Settings and then Family Center.
- Tap on Connect with Teen (Figure 4.1). This will enable you to scan the QR code from your Child’s phone (Figure 4.2). Now tap on Accept on the child’s Phone Family Center.
*Related: See step 5 of Setting Up Discord on Child’s Phone
Figure 4.1 Figure 4.2
Setting Up Discord on your Child's Phone
- Download Discord from the Google Play Store on your child’s Pinwheel Device. If you’re unfamiliar with using Google Play Store, check out our help article here.
- Assist your child in creating an account with a suitable username.
- Go to User Settings by tapping on You (Figure 3.1) on the bottom right corner then tap the cogwheel icon (Figure 3.2) on the top right corner.
Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2
- From the Settings, tap on Family Center.
- Tap on My Family tab, then tap Connect with Parent.
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This will generate a QR code that parents can then scan on their personal phone.
*Related: See step 4 of Setting Up Discord on Parent's Phone
- After successful scanning, the parent account should appear under Incoming Parent Requests on the Family Center. Tap the checkmark beside the correct account to Accept, followed by selecting Accept Request.
Figure 7.1 Figure 7.2
- You can now monitor your child’s activity on the Discord app. Take time to review and explore suitable servers together!
Preferences and Filtering
As a parent, please assist your child in accessing the safety feature filters within their Discord account settings. This is important for providing an extra layer of filtering and security for your child's overall experience.
- Go to User Settings by tapping on You (Figure 1.1) on the bottom right corner then tap the cogwheel icon (Figure 3.2) on the top right corner.
Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2
- Tap on Content & Social
- Enable the following safety features on uploaded or linked Sensitive Media according to your preference.
- Set up Direct Messages spam filtering according to your preference.
- Set up Server Settings according to your preference.
- Set up Friend Requests according to your preference.
Tips for Parents
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Discuss Online Safety
Encourage your children to refrain from sharing personal information and to be wary when interacting with strangers.
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Monitor Usage
Encourage open communication about how they using Discord and what servers they join.
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Use Third-Party Apps
Some parental control apps can provide additional monitoring and filtering for Discord usage. Discord is flexible, but it requires proactive steps to make it safe for kids, especially since it is designed as a platform for open communication.
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Account Security
For added security, please check Discord’s article on Setting up Multi-Factor Authentication. This feature is available for both Parent and Child accounts.
If you need further assistance, contact Pinwheel Customer Care or call/text us at (888) 903-7977. Our support hours are open daily from 7 AM to 9 PM CT.