Set Up Discord Parental Controls and Safe Communication

What Discord Offers (And Doesn't)

Discord does not have built-in family controls or app-level parental oversight that you can manage from a separate parent account. Instead, your child controls privacy settings on their own account, and you'll need to guide them through configuration or review settings together.

If you want deeper oversight (monitoring messages, seeing all servers), you'll need a third-party device management tool (like Life360 or Google Family Link on Android) or inspect settings in person.

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Enable Direct Message Restrictions

1. Have your child open Discord and tap their profile icon (bottom right on mobile, user avatar elsewhere).
2. Tap User Settings or Settings (the gear icon).
3. Navigate to Privacy & Safety.
4. Locate the toggle for Direct Messages or Allow DMs from Server Members—the exact label varies.
   • Set this to Friends Only or Off if you want to prevent strangers from messaging them.
5. Look for Who Can Add You as a Friend—set to Friends of Friends or No One for extra caution.
6. Tap Save or confirm the changes.

Do this tonight · 5 min

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Restrict Server Invites and Notifications

1. From Settings, go to Notifications.
2. Scroll to find the option for Server Requests or Friend Requests.
   • Toggle off Allow invites from non-friends if available.
3. You can also disable notifications for new servers to reduce surprise joins.
4. Save changes.

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Review Blocked Words and Explicit Content Filters

1. In Settings, open Privacy & Safety again.
2. Look for Safe Direct Messaging or Explicit Media Content Filter.
   • Set this to Filter Media in All Messages (the strictest option) to block explicit images in DMs.
3. Some versions offer Profanity Filter—enable this if present.
4. Save.

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Check Active Servers and Members

To see which servers your child is in and who they're talking with:

1. Open their account and review the Server List on the left sidebar (mobile) or main menu.
2. Tap each server name to see who's in it and what channels exist.
3. If you see a server that concerns you (unmoderated, full of strangers, or unknown), discuss it with your child and consider leaving.
4. You cannot remotely remove them from servers, but you can encourage deletion.

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Use Discord's Built-In Reporting Feature

If your child encounters harassment, inappropriate content, or suspicious users:

1. Have them right-click (or long-press on mobile) on the problematic message or user.
2. Select Report.
3. Choose the violation reason (e.g., "Harassment," "Spam," "Explicit Content").
4. Submit. Discord's trust & safety team will review.

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Additional Recommendations

• Talk to Your Child: Discord's safety ultimately depends on who they connect with. Regular conversations about online friends, server etiquette, and when to report behavior are essential.
• Know Their Servers: Ask them to show you the servers they join and what they chat about.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (in User Settings → My Account → Two-Factor Authentication) to prevent account takeovers.
• Use Parental Controls on the Device: Since Discord doesn't offer app-level parental oversight, use your phone's built-in parental controls (Screen Time on iOS, Digital Wellbeing on Android) to set app limits and restrict access by time of day.

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Limitations

Discord does not currently offer:

• Remote message monitoring from a parent account
• Activity logs visible to parents
• Automated content filtering you can control from outside their account
• Built-in screen time limits

If you need monitoring capabilities, combine Discord's privacy settings with device-level parental controls or third-party monitoring tools.