Online Safety Tips – Keeping Children Safe in a Digital World:
This month let’s talk Discord
What is Discord?
This app is designed for users over the age of 13. With over a quarter of a billion users, Discord is one of the most popular ways gamers communicate online.
Discord lets users communicate directly via voice, video, or text, and join servers where larger communities can interact together discussing elements of different games. It can be accessed via any web browser, but is most commonly used via a computer or phone app.
Unlike many social media platforms, there’s no general public area or feed on Discord. Instead, the app is organized around the closed groups called “servers,”
Similar to leading live streaming platform Twitch, Discord allows users to chat to other users publicly and privately whilst playing their favourite video games.
It’s important, if your child uses this app, for you to get to grips with how apps such as Discord are used by children. The nature of the app allows for people to form relationships with strangers.
Because Discord is based around private groups, it has groups for criminal activity and child pornography.
You can set your child’s privacy settings to avoid public chat in games where unknown individuals might be demeaning others or sharing explicit content.
Our students tell us that connecting with other players through chats adds a bit of competition or even mentorship. There are features within the app that allow users to make “new friends” over common interests and be part of huge communities.
TOP TIP for Parents & Carers
- As with any app that provides one-to-one or group chat features, Discord can lead to bullying or groomers interacting online with your child, or the possibility of them seeing inappropriate content. Have a good play around with the app’s ‘Privacy & Safety’ settings to ensure you and your child are happy with them as well as discussing the benefits and risks of chatting to users they may not know.
