Discord's lack of parental controls, and possible solutions

Hello,

         From the main Discord page, there is linked an article called “Parent’s Guide to Discord”, which discusses the safety and privacy options to keep users safe.The article is comprehensive about what Discord does currently have as options.

However, it does not talk about the primary issues and concerns that most parents have with children the age that will most likely be using Discord: the lack of ability to keep children (teens) for looking for and finding inappropriate content.

         The settings that currently exist are akin to a lock on the front door of your house. Fine for keeping things out, useless for keeping them in. A child can choose to keep the settings restrictive so that people cannot bully or harass them, and to stay away from NSFW content, and the options will be successful most of the time.

The issue is if they want to find inappropriate content. Children can choose to change the settings at any time.

Example of the problem

         Let’s say you have a 15 year old son who wants to see something he shouldn’t. It is as simple as going to the “Add a Server” Section, clicking “Join a Server”, and in the invite box typing in “porn”, “pornhub”, or “nudes”. Any of those words are invites to current adult content servers (and many more exist), and there is no challenge to enter except “are you 18 years old” which someone bent on inappropriate behavior will have no problem answering with a lie. The “Privacy and Safety” settings can be changed by whoever is using the platform, with no passwords required, and children can easily figure out how, so you certainly couldn’t stop your 15 year old tech savvy son that way. Which means that all of your efforts with web filters, url blockers, and parental controls on your devices to keep your child from such content are made useless by allowing them to use a simple voice chat server.

Solutions

         I am not one to bring up problems without providing possible solutions (I find that to be complaining rather than problem solving).

Here are a few possible solutions to deal with the problem, and thereby allow Discord to be not only the best voice chat service, but also the safest.

1. A separate version of the app without the ability to access NSFW content at all (alternatively a version with no ability to view pictures, gifs, or videos at all).

     I am starting with this one because I believe it is the best option with the least drawbacks.

A separate version of the app that can still join all the same servers, talk with all the same users, and operate normally with the exception that it does not provide any ability to view NSFW content. This would make the Discord service compatible with pre-existing parental controls, web filters, and URL blockers that the user may already have in place, as the safe version could be left unrestricted while the normal version could be put on a blacklist to prevent it from being used or downloaded as a bypass. 

           Pros:

       No additional passwords or pin numbers required (so no need for Discord to store additional passwords or data), no significant functionality loss; no significant differences in the program itself; by its nature it is designed to not be able to be bypassed or circumvented; no impact on current users who don’t care about such issues.

           Cons:

       It may be necessary to put the two online versions and the app download links on different URLS from one another (also different from whatever URL that they communicate on) so that parental control web filters and url blacklists can stop usage or downloading of the normal version without affecting the safe version or the communication between the versions.

2. An additional optional password or pin number on each account to lock settings, and the option in “Privacy and Safety” to block NSFW content.

      This is a pretty standard option for parental controls. Lock down the settings with a password or pin so that they cannot be changed by just anyone.

          Pros:

       Simple in concept. Can be equally applied across all Discord platforms with no impact on current users.

          Cons:

       Easy for anyone with any intelligence to circumvent by creating a new account, or by going on the web browser version and making a temporary account;

       Requires Discord to store an additional password or pin number for any user who activates this option.

3. Change the terms of service to ban pornographic, lewd, and obscene images, videos, and links.

       This is the last option, and in my opinion, the worst.

          Pros:

      Once all of the current violating content is removed, this option would successfully accomplish the goal (barring some people continuing to violate the Terms or Service); No changes required to the current program at all, no way to circumvent.

          Cons:

      Significant impact on current users of Discord who have no issue with the content currently allowed on the service; no way to easily enforce, making it likely that the much of the content could remain, rendering the effort ineffective.

Thank you for your time