The issue with Discord

 Discord is a platform like many others; it just happens to attract more creeps than normal people, and I don't just mean creeps. Discord has many issues, some of which have been covered by YouTuber "No Text to Speech." He talks extensively about Discord and covers nearly everything about it.

I'm going to try to cover as much as I can about the app.

Eboys/Egirls – I'm not sure if that's the right term to call them, but I haven't seen people call them anything else. I've seen a lot of guys and girls with profile pictures of girls wearing heavy makeup or guys from Pinterest. I'm not one to judge by appearances, but they often like to judge and gossip, especially in public Discord servers like "Dadscord," "Socialize," and "Mika Paradise" (aka "Egirl Paradise"). These servers are meant for communication and calls, but it has sadly become difficult for some people to do so because of these so-called egirls/eboys. Personally, I've been made fun of by people like that for no reason. They’ll even mock you for having an anime profile picture, even if you’re in an anime server. The issue is that you often can’t talk freely without someone openly judging you, and they’ll excuse their behavior with "Oh, but this is a public server. I can say whatever I want."

"Sensitive" Discord members – I've joined a few servers where I was immediately banned for the silliest things (e.g., saying the word "y'all" even though I'm not Black, sending memes in the general chat, or not being active every day and getting accused of only joining for the emojis). I think that’s just silly and unnecessary. I've seen a lot of these types of people who are not open to communication and only do things their own way. Some also show clear signs of favoritism toward friends, even when those friends have broken more rules than I did. There’s not much more to say, but this kind of behavior ruined my experience, and I’ve stopped looking for Discord servers in general.

ch1ld pr3d4t0r5 – Unfortunately, it’s very common to see such people on Discord. Some will justify specific age gaps as “not that bad.” It’s not rare to see people on Discord, TikTok, or other platforms making disturbing comments like "If there's a hole, there's a goal" or "If she can bleed, she can breed." I’m aware most of the people commenting are teenage boys who think it’s funny, but it clearly isn’t—especially when they're talking about small children or animals. Teenagers and children on Discord can easily fall victim to grooming if they aren't careful. It's also common to receive inappropriate messages from adult men who try to excuse the minor's age and often won’t defend themselves in private messages unless they’re exposed.

In general, it's best to avoid people you don’t feel comfortable around. That being said, you are allowed to be friends with someone who isn’t your age. It’s not recommended, but you won’t get into legal trouble for it. I just recommend being friends with people you feel comfortable with and can speak freely around. I may sound like a concerned parent, but please be careful with whom you talk to on Discord.