Users can also engage with either public or private spaces. And unlike many social media platforms, there’s no news feed. Discord also says it does not sell user data or share its data with third parties for advertising purposes, although it does offer a subscription that offers users various enhancements to the Discord experience. One of Discord’s biggest differentiators is that it has no ads. How is Discord Different from Other Social Media Platforms? It was initially used largely by gamers, but it’s since spread to other groups thanks to its ease-of-use and wide variety of useful functions, including to host book clubs, knitting groups, sewing circles, and all manner of gatherings, both personal and professional. What is Discord?ĭiscord is a free communications platform that lets users text, talk, video chat, and share screens with one another. If you’re intrigued about Discord, the following will help you learn the basics about Discord, including how you can make sure your kids stay safe while navigating the platform.

“I’ve known a lot of young adults my age struggle socially, especially in a time like now, and have found Discord as a comforting place to make friends and keep up with them,” Jones said. More than anything, Discord helps facilitate socialization among peers, especially in times when it’d be otherwise impossible to do so in-person. Tyler Jones, who began using Discord when he was 15, sums up the platform’s appeal to teens and young adults this way: “It’s fast, it’s reliable, it’s easy to use, and it offers so many features, like video calling, screen sharing and presenting, and customizations, that other sites don’t have for free.” Discord’s explosive popularity thus far has been fueled primarily by teens and young adults who flock to its platform to connect while playing games, do homework together, hold club meetings, sing karaoke, or just hang out. More than 150 million people use Discord each month, and if you’re a parent chances are your kids are among them. Updated March 4, 2022, to include new information regarding Discord’s updated Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy (effective March 28, 2022).

What's a discord server