If you are considering using Discord, and are wondering how toxic it is, then keep reading as I go over my experience as a Discord user and server owner.
Is Discord Toxic?
Discord as a whole is not a toxic platform; however, certain users and certain servers on Discord can be toxic. Servers that are created specifically for drama, or Discord servers with lots of members tend to be the most toxic areas on Discord.
In my personal experience, larger servers are more toxic because there are more people in them meaning more toxic people are able to sneak in.
Smaller servers tend to be less toxic because there are less people making it less likely that a toxic user will get away with their shenanigans.
In my small server of around 100 people I have rarely dealt with any toxicity. This is because if anyone enters my server and begins to act toxic either me or one of my mods just bans them.
Smaller servers are just way easier to manage and this is the biggest reasons why they are usually way less toxic.
But if you are tired of dealing with toxic users on Discord, here is what you can do.
How To Deal With Someone Toxic On Discord?
The best thing to do when dealing with a toxic user on Discord is first reaching out to them to try and find out why they are acting toxic. Remind them of the server rules and if they continue to act toxic then remove them from the server and block them if necessary.
Reach Out To Them
Everyone has a bad day. I personally don’t like to immediately ban a person on Discord who may be acting toxic until I find out what it wrong.
Message them on the server or DM them and see if everything is ok with them.
Remind Them Of The Server Rules
After you have reached out to an individual to check on them, if they continue to act toxic, remind them of the server’s rules and consequences for breaking the rules.
Some people may only be acting toxic because they feel like they can get away with it so sometimes reminding them of the rules and consequences will get them to mellow out and follow the rules.
Remove Them From The Server
Nobody likes to remove members from their server, but sometimes this is the best option. One person can ruin an entire server so it is better to remove one bad actor rather than seeing the whole server devolve into chaos.
Block Them If Necessary
If a user is acting hostile or toxic to you personally, then consider blocking them on Discord. This will stop them from messaging you and from you seeing their messages. This is probably the best way to ignore a toxic user on Discord.
Now if you are in a toxic Discord server, you may be wondering whether or not you should leave it. Let’s discuss.
Should You Leave A Toxic Discord Server?
You should absolutely leave a toxic Discord server. If you join a Discord server, only to find out that it is not what you had anticipated, it is ok to leave it and look for a different server that matches better with what you are looking for.
If you joined a Discord server and found it is not what you expected or don’t want to receive updates, you can leave.
One of the good things about Discord is that you are completely free to join or leave any server you like. If you want to leave a server, you can do so. By leaving the Discord server, you will not get any more messages or send any messages to that server.
To wrap up, if you are a parent, let’s talk about things you should consider when allowing your child to use Discord.
Should You Let Your Kids Use Discord?
Discord itself requires that users be at least 13 years old. Although the required age to use the website is 13, it is still recommended that parents monitor their child’s Discord usage since Discord does contain swearing, graphic language, adult content, and strangers.
This is not to say that all of Discord is loaded with these things, in fact there are many servers that forbid these things. However, there are servers meant for adults that children should avoid.
If your child is using Discord only to talk and game with friends there is no issue. But once they start joining unkown servers with unkown individuals in them, then it can become problematic for a young individual.
Here are some things you can implement to keep your child safe on Discord:
- Apply time limits
- Set expectations
- Be a user yourself
- Allow them to feel like they can come to you if there is an issue
- Monitor which servers they are a part of
Related Articles:
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Sources:
https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360050817374-Age-restriction
Eric streams 3 days a week on Twitch and uploads weekly to Youtube under the moniker, StreamersPlaybook. He loves gaming, PCs, and anything else related to tech. He’s the founder of the website StreamersPlaybook and loves helping people answer their streaming, gaming, and PC questions.