St. Thomas, ON – Monday August 11th 2025
Discord: Chat Smart. Stay Safe.
Presented by CRU and Sader – your STPS Youth Engagement Mascots
This week, CRU and Sader are highlighting Discord, a popular communication app used in gaming, study groups and countless online communities. While it enables voice, video, and text chat, Discord has risks that families need to be aware of.
What Parents Should Know:
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Unfiltered Access: Kids can be exposed to explicit content, cyberbullying, and digitally circulated bullying or harassment
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Malware & Phishing: Discord’s ability to share links makes it a target for scams—hackers may spread malware or phishing sites through DMs or servers
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Fake Profiles & Predators: Users can create deceptive accounts to lure or exploit younger users
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Screen Time & Addiction: Continuous notifications and server activity can lead to excessive screen time, affecting sleep and daily responsibilities.
Safety Features & Best Practices:
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Family Center (opt-in): Parents can link their account to their teen’s and receive weekly summaries of friend adds, server joins, and general activity—without seeing message content
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Privacy & Content Filters: Under User Settings → Privacy & Safety, you can disable direct messages from strangers, block friend requests, filter or blur explicit media, and disable message requests from unknown server members
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Ignore & Block Tools: Use the “Ignore” function to mute or hide messages from specific users discreetly
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Private Server Use: Encourage use of invite-only servers with friends rather than public ones riddled with unknown users
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Account Security Basics: Enable two-factor authentication, use strong unique passwords, and revoke old devices and session access regularly
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Talk About Digital Risks: Maintain open conversations about phishing, privacy, and how algorithm-driven communities can shape behavior
Discord can be a hub for connection and learning—but only when paired with the right tools and family support. With the Family Center, privacy settings, and strong security, parents and teens can share more safety and less risk.
Catch CRU and Sader back here next Monday with another tech safety spotlight!
