- TeamSpeak has said that new users are overloading their servers
- This comes as Discord refuses to U-turn on age verification checks
- There are concerns about how securely user ID information will be kept by Discord
Discord’s plans to verify the age of all its users aren’t going down very well, to say the least, as yet another Discord alternative – TeamSpeak – is reportedly experiencing server issues caused by all the people flocking to its platform to escape age checks.
This follows recent reports that Stoat, formerly known as Revolt, is also experiencing server capacity issues caused by the Discord exodus. Although these companies do not seem frustrated by the influx of new users, as TeamSpeak remembers about the problems online.
With the incredible increase of new users joining TeamSpeak and subscribing to communities, the current hosting capacity has been reached in many regions, especially in the United States. We are working to expand availability across additional regions.Thank you for your patience as… pic.twitter.com/nyzjirx9VM14 February 2026
The core issue for many users is that Discord’s age verification can require them to hand over an ID, and after Discord admitted that around 70,000 users’ IDs were leaked last October to hackers, people are rightfully uneasy about handing over more data.
Discord has said that you may not need to provide an ID if you are an adult. Facial scans could also suffice, and it claims that “most” adults will be able to bypass those scans and ID checks entirely through what it calls its “age inference system,” which will judge your age based on your Discord activity, like how long you’ve had an account and device data (but not your message content).
Still, if these checks fail, you may have to hand over your ID, and for many, any kind of check can feel invasive and potentially dangerous. Speaking to BBC popular LGBTQ+ content creator Eret highlighted that “many people use the online world as a place to talk about things they may not feel comfortable talking about with people in the real world, where being queer can result in prosecution.”
Although not a complete ID, if a photo and/or full name is attached to an online profile and then that information is leaked, it can have major consequences for people in marginalized communities.
As another creator, Pikachulita, also noted, “We live in an age where it’s not too far-fetched to think that companies like Discord could share this data with state or federal agencies — in the United States or elsewhere — for their benefit.” There are fears not just of data being maliciously stolen, but knowingly shared by the companies that store it — and with the US Department of Homeland Security requesting information on anti-ICE accounts from social media platforms (via The New York Times, behind a paywall), you can understand where those concerns might come from.
However, the elephant in the room for new TeamSpeak and Stoat users is that these platforms may also have to impose age controls on some users.
In the UK, the government has expressed plans to expand its online safety law, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying that “No social media platform should get a free pass when it comes to protecting our children.” (via PC Gamer). It was apparently more in relation to AI chatbots and VPNs, which the government may also ban or restrict the use of for young people, but which would also likely extend to other platforms that so far fly under the radar.
So while they’re somewhat of a safe haven from age verification for now, it’s not clear how long that will last.
But if they can convince users that their ID data will be truly private and maintain a positive track record, they might be able to avoid the situation Discord currently finds itself in. We’ll have to wait and see.
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