Discord is rapidly growing, and as more users join the hot messaging app, scammers and nefarious players follow.
Is Discord Safe?
The abundance of bad behavior leads some to believe that Discord is unsafe, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The platform’s problems are similar to those on other social media sites; with a few precautions, users can avoid all the potential dangers.
Discord safety is within reach, and it’s easier than you think.
Why Discord Safety is Important
Discord safety is vital because online security is essential. Scammers abound online, and although they’re impossible to avoid altogether, there are simple ways to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Nefarious players do lurk in Discord, just as they do everywhere else. The platform sees its fair share of scammers hoping to separate unsuspecting victims from their hard-earned money, groomers looking for easy victims, and extremists targeting new recruits, but these dangers can be found in any online space – they aren’t unique to Discord.
Of course, Discord safety has unique challenges due to the private nature of the servers, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than any other platform.
In fact, Discord recognizes the challenges and works much harder than other online spaces to keep its users safe.
How Discord Promotes Safety
Discord, as a company, is well aware of the dangers lurking in hidden corners of the internet. They take great efforts to keep their platform safe by issuing warnings for inappropriate conduct and banning the worst users and servers.
Discord publishes transparency reports highlighting some of the company’s most aggressive actions to keep its platforms free of bad behavior. They have a safety hub where users, moderators, and parents can go to explore the available safety tools. They publish news and resources about Discord safety and internet safety in general.
However, Discord can’t catch everything. The app has millions of users and private servers, an essential feature that makes Discord great but one that can also hide harmful content.
How to Stay Safe on Discord
It’s nearly impossible to stumble upon a server used to share outrageous content, so most users shouldn’t worry about that aspect. If you discover a server with questionable content, it’s best to report it and its owners to Discord and move along.
The most common place people try to scam you on Discord is via direct message (DM).
How to Avoid Scams on Discord
Most Discord scams can be prevented with discretion and general online safety tips. Here are the best ways to keep yourself safe on the messaging app.
Giveaways Aren’t Always Real
One of the most common scams is the Discord Nitro scam. A Bot will message unsuspecting users, telling them they’ve been gifted a free Discord Nitro subscription. When the unsuspecting user clicks the link, nefarious bots gain access to their accounts.
These scams aren’t limited to Discord Nitro. You may have “won” free crypto, NFTs, gift cards, gaming skins, or other prizes.
Remember, you will never win a contest you didn’t enter. If you “won” something and don’t remember entering, it’s likely a scam. It’s also likely a scam if the message is from someone you don’t know.
Protect Your Personal Information
Scammers can access your account with the smallest amount of personal information. Carefully guard your full name, street address, place of employment, phone number, and sensitive information like bank and credit card accounts.
Phishers will send links in servers and DMs, asking users to fill out forms or create fun games that slyly convince people to give this information up.
Stuff like this isn’t limited to Discord. A common Facebook meme makes giving your information fun. Share the color of your shirt + the street you grew up on – it’s your Viking name!
Of course, the creator just wanted folks to share the name of the street they grew up on, as that’s a standard security question.
Be discerning in the memes you reply to and the forms you fill out to ensure you aren’t giving bad players your personal information.
Know How Companies Will Contact You
The likelihood that a legitimate company will contact you with a pressing concern over Discord (or any online platform) is slim to none.
Much like email social security scams, Discord scammers pose as workers from legitimate companies and target users through DM. They’ll ask for payments, account verifications, personal information, or anything they can get from you.
If you aren’t sure whether a DM is legitimate, close Discord (don’t click any links!) and do a web search for the company. Find their customer support number, and call them. Don’t complete transactions over the platform.
Keep in mind that most legitimate companies won’t contact you over Discord.
Be Careful with Friends
The most insidious Discord DM scam is the friendship scam. These scammers play the long game, pretending to be friends for weeks or months before striking. Be wary of folks DMing you out of the blue, sending funny messages, and being overly friendly.
I love the ability to communicate with people all around the world on Discord, and some folks I met there have actually become my friends. But I’ve never met them in real life, and I’d never give them my personal information or buy into anything they were offering.
Not everyone on Discord has the same intentions. Some people pretend to be your friend so they can scam you.
Regardless of how close you feel you have become to someone over Discord, remember that you’ve never met this person in real life. Don’t send them money, offer to pay their bills, or sign up for anything they share with you without conducting your own research and verification.
Verify, Verify, Verify
It’s good practice to verify everything, both on Discord and online in general.
Did you get a DM from a real-life friend asking you to share suspicious information? Give them a call and ask what it’s about.
When you get DMS saying you won something, do a Google search about the giveaway or the company involved to see whether it’s legitimate.
Verify everything you do in Discord before clicking on links or accepting friend requests from folks you don’t know.
Protecting Your Discord Account
DIA TV via Shutterstock.com.
Some scammers access Discord by hacking other people’s user accounts. To protect your account, use a strong password that’s difficult to guess, and sign up for two-factor authentication. Make it hard for hackers to access your friend list and your servers.
While logged into Discord, you can change your privacy and security settings to avoid harmful messages. Discord can automatically scan all DMS, a significant first step in avoiding spammy content.
Protecting Your Discord Server
Discord server owners face unique challenges. Owners are responsible for creating a safe environment for users, so they must work to keep their servers free from spam and their community members safe from harm.
Installing a moderation bot is the first essential step to protecting your server. Bot integration is one of the best features of Discord. Users have created bots to do nearly anything you can imagine, like integrating with Twitter or Reddit, playing games, and, of course, moderating content.
A moderation bot like MEE6 can be customized to prevent spam, restrict messages with harmful words and content, and ban users from accessing the server.
Server owners should also view their server security settings. Discord gives owners numerous options for protecting their community, including restricting access to those with 2FA enabled, filtering explicit content, and disallowing server raids. Each of these options is customizable, so as an owner, it’s vital to decide how secure you want your community to be.
Is Discord Safe for Kids?
Discord is not safe for young children. Discord’s terms of service restrict users under 13 from using the platform. However, there is no age verification process, so younger children can sign up, with or without their parents’ approval.
Discord is safe for children 13 and up with parental consent and moderation.
How Parents Can Protect Their Children on Discord
Even adults get scammed or led down dangerous paths in Discord, so parents must take steps to keep their children safe.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways parents can help their teenagers safely enjoy Discord.
Monitor Activity
Although kids want and need privacy, it’s okay to set certain restrictions regarding online privacy. You should monitor your child’s online activity to ensure they stay safe and do not fall into dangerous rabbit holes.
Each parent needs to decide how and when to monitor their child’s online activity. Balance their growing privacy needs versus the dangers of the online world.
Privacy Settings
Children’s accounts should have the strictest privacy settings enabled. Enable the “keep me safe” setting that scans every message and restricts DMs from people you don’t know.
Unfortunately, Discord doesn’t have any parental controls, so you must monitor to ensure the safety settings remain as you set them.
Discuss Dangerous Content
The best way to keep your child safe online is to have an ongoing discussion about online safety and dangerous content.
Communicate with your child about what they may find, including extremism, grooming, bullying, and other difficult subjects. Build trust with them throughout their life, so they know they can come to you if they see something suspicious. Give them the tools to discuss inappropriate behavior, and never make them feel like they’re “wrong” or “bad” for seeing it or being targeted.
This type of parental communication is vital in our growing world of interconnectivity.
Kimberly King, author and authority on sexual abuse prevention, says communicating with your children about online predators is critical to ensuring their safety. “An educated and empowered family is an unattractive target for an abuser,” she said, adding that parents should encourage open discussion about what’s happening online.
Parenting expert Victoria Cornell from Motherhood, Life, Balance agrees, advising users to “Be open with your kids. Have frequent conversations with them around the topic. By making it a regular occurrence, they’ll be more likely to watch out for it and feel comfortable coming to you.”
She said these conversations could apply to everything kids may be exposed to online, including bullying, grooming, or radicalization attempts.
Limit Their Discord Time and Access
It’s much easier to get sucked into a nasty rabbit hole when you spend hours upon hours on a platform. To keep your kids safe, limit the amount of time they spend on Discord. Allow them access for a few hours each night, and make sure they can’t log on when they’re supposed to be sleeping or at school.
Don’t allow them to have the mobile app; limit their usage to the desktop. Keep tabs on which servers they join, and ensure they have your approval to enter any new communities.
Teach Online Safety
Discord safety isn’t much different than typical online safety. Every platform has scammers and nefarious players.
Ensure your kids understand the dangers lurking online, from phishing to abuse. Talk with them about the importance of keeping personal and financial information safe, tell them that not everyone they meet online is good, and make sure they have a healthy relationship with the online world.
Web safety, in general, is vital to keeping kids safe on Discord.
Discord is a Great Platform
Despite the safety challenges, Discord is a great platform. It allows users to build communities with people worldwide who share similar interests and helps make the vast world a tiny bit smaller.
Discord allows us to connect, share ideas, engage, and communicate across oceans, time zones, and cultural barriers.
Don’t let the potential dangers inherent in most online platforms deter you from enjoying the positive aspects Discord offers.