Is Discord actually safe for kids or nah? My 13yo wants to join a server with like 200 people from his gaming community. I'm torn between wanting him to have social interaction vs not knowing who he's actually talking to.
Honestly the safety depends more on your kid's maturity level than the app. Some 13yos can handle it, others can't. You know your son better than anyone. Trust your gut on this one.
My kid got into a gaming Discord server and there was some wild stuff being said. Not inappropriate exactly but definitely not stuff a 13yo needs to see. Made me realize how little moderation actually happens on these things.
Discord itself is fine but 200 person servers are basically impossible to moderate properly. I let my 13yo on Discord but only in small private servers with friends he actually knows in person. That's the rule.
200 person server from school sounds like it could go sideways fast. I'd suggest requiring him to stick to smaller friend groups for now and maybe revisiting larger communities when he's a bit older.
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The real issue with Discord for kids isn't the app itself, it's who they're talking to and what they're exposed to. Private servers with IRL friends = pretty safe. Random public servers = way sketchier. Set boundaries on that for sure.
We use Discord for family calls during the week and my son uses it for his friend group. The key is checking in occasionally and knowing which servers he's on. I don't helicoper but I'm not totally hands off either.