Dissecting Discord: What you need to know about the platform kids are using across the country

ATLANTA — Teens spend nearly five hours every day on social media platforms, according to a 2023 Gallop survey.

One of those platforms, Discord, was created almost 10 years ago but many parents still don’t know much about it.

Dylan Rubio, 16, uses Discord to talk with other players while he is gaming.

From his basement game room, he could be interacting with dozens or even hundreds of other people.

“My friends on Discord, I know them in school personally and we play like Fortnite together or Call of Duty,” Rubio said.

Discord is the easiest way to communicate.

Dylan’s mom, Leandra Cano, first heard about Discord when Dylan was 11. She told us what he sees online is priority No. 1.

“I have to rely on myself as a parent and my spot checks for when I see inappropriate things, we need to have a discussion,” Cano said.

Discord is made up of millions of servers. Some are public and some are private and you need an invitation to join.

Dylan was able to set one up in minutes.

“You can press for a club or a community or me and my friends and you just click it. Boom there it is,” he said.

Servers break down into channels about specific topics and users can send private messages.

Titania Jordan founded Bark Technologies, a parental control program.

She told WSB Consumer Expert Clark Howard that many parents don’t realize Discord exists or how popular it is.

She said that parents need to be aware of how their kids use Discord and who they are talking to.

“Google Discord. Understand what it is so you can speak somewhat intelligently about it with your children,” she said.

The fact that so many kids use Discord is why Andy Green uses the chat platform to connect with his students at Kennesaw State University.

“Discord is an easy way for me to create a space that I manage and control,” Green said.

He can remove users from his server at any time if he needs to.

He told Howard that Discord is no more dangerous than apps like Facebook or X, but it’s more user-friendly than other platforms and he can set up alerts for alarming content.

Between the alerts and members of his community contacting him, he can get rid of any unwanted content.

“I typically find out about it within in just a few minutes,” he said.

Jordan said if kids see something concerning or scary online, they don’t need to be afraid to tell a trusted adult.

“They don’t need to worry about ratting out friends because they have the potential to save lives,” she said.

Those are words Dylan understands even more after seeing threatening posts on his Instagram feed.

He brought screenshots to his mom, and she forwarded them to the police.

He also keeps tabs on his younger brother’s devices and told us he’s caught him talking to people he shouldn’t.

“I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m just trying to look after you. These people don’t need to know who you are, and they don’t need to know how old you are. They don’t need to know where you live,’” he said.

Howard said keeping an open line of communication with our kids about what they see and who they talk to online is one of the best ways to keep them safe.

“I believe now more than ever, you and I as parents have got to be nosey. We’ve got to be involved and make sure your kids know we’re doing it,” he said.