From Nepal protests to Charlie Kirk's assassination: How Discord became a hub for activism and controversy

Protesters gather on a security vehicle outside the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building of the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on September 9, 2025. (AFP)

Once a niche tool for video gamers, Discord has emerged as a powerful social platform for everything from study groups to political activism. Its role in high-profile incidents has pushed it into the spotlight. In the United States, Tyler Robinson, accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk, reportedly used Discord to discuss the crime. In Nepal, students turned to the app to organise mass protests after the government blocked major social media platforms, coordinating rallies that contributed to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and even conducting a poll to pick an interim leader.

These episodes underline how Discord has evolved from a gamer-friendly chat space into a mainstream communication hub that can both empower communities and attract controversy.

What is Discord?

Discord is a free social media and messaging platform launched in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy in San Francisco. Originally created to let gamers talk easily while playing, it quickly gained popularity, growing from 25 million users in 2016 to 56 million in 2019.

The Covid-19 lockdowns turned it into a lifeline for millions, helping friends, students and online communities stay connected. Today it hosts more than 200 million monthly users across the world. Although it retains a strong gaming user base, its appeal has widened to musicians, students, coders, sports fans, and activists.

How it works

Discord supports text, voice and video chat, as well as screen sharing. It organises communities into “servers,” which are private or public spaces that function like Facebook groups. Each server can host hundreds of thousands of members and is divided into topic channels. These channels support audio rooms, text threads, watch parties and music streaming. Servers are moderated by community members to keep discussions orderly. People can also chat one-to-one or in small groups outside servers. Discord is free to use but offers a premium “Nitro” subscription with extra features.

Discord in Nepal

When the Oli government in Nepal blocked major social media platforms like X, Facebook and YouTube, students and young protesters migrated to Discord to bypass the restrictions. They used it to coordinate rallies and communicate securely under curfew conditions. Participants even held informal polls on the platform to gauge public support for potential interim leaders. In one such poll, thousands of users picked former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who went on to become Nepal’s first female Prime Minister heading an interim government. This episode showed Discord’s power as an organising tool for youth-led movements.

Discord in crime and extremism

Discord’s ease of use and anonymity have also made it attractive to people planning violent acts. Tyler Robinson allegedly discussed his involvement in Charlie Kirk’s murder on a small Discord group before his arrest. White nationalists used the app to plan the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, and a gunman in Buffalo reportedly outlined his grocery store massacre on the platform. These cases highlight the darker side of a service that offers private, lightly monitored spaces where illegal or violent activity can be discussed.

Child safety and legal action

Discord says users must be at least 13 years old, but the New Jersey Attorney General’s office has alleged that age restrictions are easily bypassed. In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed in September 2025, New Jersey accused Discord of exposing children to sexual abuse, grooming and violent content, and of failing to implement adequate safety controls. The complaint cites multiple cases where adults allegedly used the platform to solicit minors or share abusive material.

Discord has disputed these claims, saying it invests heavily in safety tools, has partnered with organisations to detect child sexual abuse content, and cooperates with law enforcement. In 2023 the company rolled out new parental controls, safety alerts and content filters for teenagers, but critics argue these measures are not strict enough and that default settings leave children vulnerable.