So You Need to Change Your Birthdate on Discord? Here‘s the Rundown

Want to update your age in that Discord profile you made when you were still in middle school? It‘s understandable – those old stats just don‘t reflect who you are anymore.

Unfortunately, changing something as simple as your birthday turns into a whole thing over there. Discord treats age changes like high-security breaches!

Don‘t worry though, I‘ll walk you through it. Just expect some identity verification hoops along the way.

Why Does Discord Make Modifying Ages So Hard?

I get why you might be frustrated. Why should showing your driver‘s license become necessary just to tweak a date in your account details?

Here‘s the context around Discord‘s strict age gates:

Discord faces legal pressure to limit underage access to adult content

Given Discord houses plenty of 18+ servers, regulators watch closely to ensure they properly gate minors from accessing inappropriate content. Services like Discord tiptoe a fine line between enabling free expression and restricting content from children.

Age checks create necessary barriers amidst this ambiguity.

Underage usage leads to big consequences

A 2019 survey by Thorn documented the following around underage exposure online:

• 39% of online sextortion targets are minors
• 93% of sextortion attempts start on social media

So if Discord doesn‘t police ages stringently, they risk enabling the above statistics. No platform wants to be the next target for concerned parents and cybercrime victims.

Lawsuits over poor age verification pile up

Beyond digital safety risks, legal complaints cause massive headaches for companies like Discord:

• Snapchat now faces a lawsuit for addicting minors
• Facebook lost a $5 billion suit over violating child privacy laws

By strictly controlling account ages, Discord covers their legal liability regarding underage members accessing inappropriate content.

I don‘t envy their position! Balancing safety with freedom gets thorny fast. Their identity checks stem from legitimate concerns – no worrying about you specifically.

Now let‘s tackle updating that age marker. I‘ll be right here to help each step of the way!

Step-by-Step Instructions to Change Your Age

Just follow these seven quick steps to modify your birthdate on file with Discord:

Step 1: Open Discord‘s Help Request Form

First, navigate over to Discord‘s Support Site in your browser. This is where you‘ll open a help request ticket:

See that "Submit a Request" button in the top right corner? Click that to get started.

Step 2: Select "Appeals & Age Update Requests"

Next, the site will show a menu with different help request types. Choose "Appeals & Age Update Requests" as the category:

We specifically want the "Update my age information" option listed below it. Select that item.

Step 3: Write Your Full Username on Paper

On a clearly visible sheet of paper grab a pen and neatly write out your full Discord username – make sure to include the hashtag ID number too!

It should mimick exactly how your name appears on the platform, like @JohnSmith1234#5582.

Triple check that everything is spelled correctly and legible. We‘ll need to send Discord a snapshot of this.

Step 4: Place Your Photo ID Next to the Username Paper

Now lay that sheet of paper containing your username next to your driver‘s license, passport or other photo ID you have on hand.

Make sure to use an ID with your birthdate visible! Line it up neatly beside the username paper, then take a clearly lit straight-on photo capturing both elements side-by-side.

Here‘s an example:

Avoid blur, glare, overexposure or shadows that could obscure details in the image. We want Discord to easily read the text on both items.

Step 5: Attach Your Photo to Discord‘s Help Form

Head back to the Discord help page still open in your browser. Near the bottom is an option to attach files – click Add File and upload the picture you just took showing your ID and handwritten username together.

This allows Discord‘s team to cross-reference your ID details with the account credentials.

Step 6: Submit Your Help Request to Discord

Once your identity verification photo is uploaded, go ahead and click Submit to send your age change request over to Discord‘s Admins.

And that‘s it on your end! Their support staff may reach out with any other questions. But otherwise sit tight for their response.

Note: The review process typically takes 7-10 business days.

Step 7: Celebrate Your Age Update!

If all goes smoothly, soon your Discord profile will accurately reflect your current age. Enjoy this new milestone!

Changing account ages may require an extra step on Discord compared to other platforms. But looking ahead, you hopefully won‘t need to repeat this process.

How Do Other Major Apps Handle Age Checks?

Wondering if other social media giants also make users identity-verify birthdates? Check out this overview:

As this table illustrates, most apps allow users to self-report birthdates or modify ages without ID verification.

Discord goes the extra mile enforcing stringent policies around age changes to limit legal liability. Frustrating yes, but important for protecting all communities on the platform.

Let‘s Recap!

• Ultimately, Discord restricts birthdate changes to uphold community safety standards and reduce harmful incidents involving minors. What seems like overkill comes from a reasonable place – even if inconvenient!
• With the steps outlined above explaining how to update your age marker using identity documents, you now have all the tools needed to align your profile with your current life stage.
• Moving forward, I encourage embracing online safety as our shared responsibility. But you can always lean on this guide to navigate Discord‘s specifics if any profile housekeeping arises.

I hope breaking down the method to Discord‘s madness around age verification lessened frustrations around updating that one field. You‘ve got this! Feel free to reach out with any other questions.