When Discord’s CEO appears before Congress on Wednesday, he’ll face predictable questions about content moderation, online radicalization, and political violence. These are important questions. But after five years running a Discord server for boys in middle school and high school, I can tell you: if that’s all senators ask, they’ll miss the real story.
The hearing invitation was issued after the politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk. Authorities report that the suspect, Tyler Robinson, confessed to the killing on Discord and was described as deeply involved in online culture.
The conversation we’re having about Discord—and other platforms like Twitch and Reddit—keeps diagnosing the wrong problem. We’re focused on what these platforms allow, when we should be asking instead what boys need.
On NGM Alliance, the Discord server my colleagues and I run for 7th- to 12th-grade boys through Next Gen Men, I’ve seen young teenagers share about getting stressed out by school or rejected by a girl, trying to curb substance use or struggling with suicidal thoughts. Each time, other youth have offered support, shared resources or ideas, and—perhaps most importantly—let him know he wasn’t alone.
