Discord is where the internet lives. That means the usual suspects are there too — and so is every setting you’ve never touched. Discord states they do not sell personal data or share it with third parties for advertising. That’s better than most. But everything can be screenshotted, and private servers aren’t as private as they feel.
DO / DON’T
DO:
- Use caution when posting images or videos — be aware of identifiable locations and personal details visible in the background
- Remember privacy concerns when using your real name and birthdate during registration
- Change your password periodically and enable Two-Factor Authentication — 2FA is not optional
- Remind family members to take similar precautions
DON’T:
- Post anything you wouldn’t want seen by the general public — private servers can still be screenshotted, screen-recorded, and leaked
- Connect with people or servers you don’t know or trust
- Forget that people online are not always who they say they are
My Account Settings
Path: Settings > My Account
Bottom left → Cog (User Settings) → My Account
- Review and edit your basic account information
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) — do this now if you haven’t
- Can disable or delete your account from here if needed
- Profile status: click the green icon under your profile picture to control your visible status
Privacy & Safety
Path: User Settings > Privacy & Safety
- Explicit Images: Set to at minimum “Filter direct messages from non-friends”
- Server Privacy Defaults:
- “Allow Direct messages from server members” — turn OFF
- “Allow access to age-restricted servers on iOS” — turn OFF
- “Enable message requests from other server members you may not know” — turn OFF
- How we use your Data: Turn ALL options OFF to prevent Discord from collecting usage data
- To see what data Discord has: “Request Data” — takes up to 30 days
Family Center
Path: User Settings > Family Center > Get Started
- Connect with your teen’s account to monitor who they’re in contact with
- Under Settings tab: Enable “Family Center tab”
- Enable “Receive Activity Summary emails” — weekly email summarizing your teen’s Discord activity
- Connected teens appear under “My Family” tab
Devices
Path: User Settings > Devices
- View all devices currently connected to your account
- If you see an unrecognized device: log out of it immediately, then change your password
- “Log out of all known devices” option at the bottom — use this if you suspect compromise
Connections
Path: User Settings > Connections
- Lists all third-party apps Discord can connect to
- Recommendation: Do NOT link any accounts. If one gets compromised, you don’t want the others pulled in.
Friend Requests
Path: User Settings > Friend Requests
- Control who can send you friend requests
- If “Everyone” is enabled: verify someone’s identity before accepting — being switched on here matters
Streamer Mode
Path: App Settings > Streamer Mode
- If you stream with Discord integration: keep Streamer Mode ON
- Adjust privacy options to match your streaming setup — hiding personal notifications, email, and account details from being visible on stream
Server Settings (if you run a server)
- Access via server dropdown arrow → Server Settings → Roles
- Create roles with different permissions and varying access levels
- Under Overview → Moderation:
- Set Verification Level to Highest
- Set Explicit Media Content Filter to “Scan media content from all members”
Enable 2FA right now if you haven’t. Go to Settings → My Account → Two-Factor Authentication. It takes three minutes.