- Discord has introduced parental controls similar to those employed by prominent social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube.
- In the past, Discord’s philosophy has rejected this concept, emphasizing a focus on the needs of users rather than those of parents.
- The release of these parental controls comes amid heightened scrutiny of teen social media use and mental health issues, with social media focused on giving teens a platform to compliment each other. It follows the acquisition of Gas by media app Discord.
In this illustration taken on March 29, 2021, headphones can be seen in front of the displayed Discord app logo.
Dado Ruvik | Reuters
Discord has introduced parental control tools. The move represents a continued shift by growing social media companies to include parents on their platforms as social media use by teens and its potential negative health effects comes under increased scrutiny. It is.
New settings in Discord’s Family Center allow parents to see which Discord communities their teens are a part of, as well as the users their teens are friends with and interact with. However, this setting does not allow parents to access the actual content of their teens’ interactions.
Even in 2021, Discord executives told the Wall Street Journal that the company’s user-first philosophy still took precedence over the wishes of parents. However, parents and public officials continue to put pressure on social media platforms over issues related to their use by young people. A Surgeon General’s report in May this year found that 46% of teens aged 13 to 17 say social media worsens their body image, and that social media use is associated with depression. states that there is a relationship. Additionally, 64% of teens are “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hate-based content, such as racism or cyberbullying.
Discord’s blog post about new parental controls attempted to balance its user-first philosophy with the fact that many social media users are teenagers — according to a Department of Public Health report. It has been reported that up to 95% of people between the ages of 13 and 17 use social media. “Family Center is a new opt-in tool that allows teens to easily keep their parents and guardians informed about their Discord activity while still respecting their autonomy,” Discord writes.
Family Center requires both user and parental consent. To set up, parents must scan their child’s generated QR code. Once Family Center is set up and a teen accepts a parent’s request, Family Center can track things like how many people messaged or called, how many new friends were added, and how many servers users used. Provides details about your Discord activity over the past 7 days. Discord described this as a highlight of the activity rather than a complete archive.
Snap, Instagram, and TikTok all have parental controls
Parental controls like this are becoming common across social media. Last year, Snapchat launched Parent Controls, seeking a balance between giving parents more information while being less intrusive into their children’s online lives.
“Family Center is designed to reflect the way parents interact with their teens in the real world. Parents typically know who their teens are friends with and when they’re together. “I know, but I don’t eavesdrop on private conversations,” Snapp said. When we announced that feature in August 2022.
Last month, Meta announced it was rolling out a new tool to help users verify they’re 18 on Instagram, a move that comes after the introduction of Family Center in 2022. A 2021 Wall Street Journal study linked teen Instagram use to negative mental health outcomes. Later that year, Mehta paused production on Instagram for kids. Since 2020, TikTok’s Family Pairing feature has allowed parents to adjust the content their kids can watch and disable the search bar.
Discord, which launched in 2015 and ranked 18th on the 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50, was initially used primarily by people in the gaming community, but has grown far beyond its gamer roots to include monthly active users. The number has grown to over 150 million. With its growth, safety and security issues have become more important. Reporting harassment on Discord has become a big issue in recent years, and is especially sensitive given the typically younger demographic. In its latest transparency report in December 2022, the company announced that it disabled 42,458 accounts and removed 14,451 servers for child safety violations in the third quarter of 2022. However, this represents a 92% decrease in the number of deactivated accounts compared to the previous quarter.
In a report earlier this year, the Surgeon General said there was evidence on both sides of the social media debate. It can cause or worsen eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression, according to research reviewed by the Surgeon General. However, the report also found that the majority of young people use social media to help them feel accepted (58%) and to feel like they have someone to support them during difficult times (67%). ), also stated that they feel like they have a place to show their creative side. (71%), and more related to what’s going on in their friends’ lives (80%). However, it concluded that “at this time, there is not yet sufficient evidence to determine whether social media is sufficiently safe for children and young people.”
This week, Discord’s head of trust and safety announced that it would ban servers dedicated to teen dating and expand its policies to address generative artificial intelligence. A month after NBC News investigated child safety on the platform, which may falsely create sexual content about children. Before parental controls, Discord has added features in recent years that allow teens to manage their own accounts for safety reasons, with options like direct message filters, explicit image filters, and friend requests. Parents were encouraged to check with their teens. setting.
Discord’s recent acquisition of Gas also signals the company’s growing response to criticism of teen social media use. Gas is an app whose main purpose is to give teens a platform to compliment each other. “Gas is all about uplifting and empowering each other through positive affirmations. Its incredible success shows that there is an opportunity to create a playful, yet meaningful space for young people.” said Discord in a blog post about the deal.