Twitch is committing itself to keeping people safe online by introducing some changes to the site which will hopefully safeguard children. Given that there are so many popular streamers on Twitch, millions of users continue to tune in each month to watch their favorite content creators. Of course, it also draws in those who wish to make a career out of streaming, and among all these active participants, the website is bound to attract a slew of young viewers, which comes with its own problems.
Twitch is no stranger to controversies, being the subject of media and user backlash over a number of issues. Some of the biggest ones include gambling streams, with huge names like Adin Ross and xQc being offered lucrative sponsorship deals. There was also the recent debacle over the changes to the way the Amazon-owned platform pays content creators, leaving some who depend on streaming concerned about their income. Then there was last year's "hate raid" scandal, in which many were subject to a series of hate-filled messages, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community.
Now it looks as though Twitch is looking to protect even more people on its site, and some changes are being implemented to better safeguard children. According to a Twitch blog post, such updates include "expanding the signals" that go towards detecting any users who are under the age of 13 and terminating those accounts. There will also be mandatory "phone verification requirements" in order to prevent minors from livestreaming using profiles that have a false age. The company also says it will be refining its moderation technology to "review certain user reports" to hopefully prioritize instances involving underage users.
It remains to be seen how well these new measures will pan out. A recent report showed there were almost 2000 predators on Twitch, which has led to thousands of children being targeted by groomers. This has evidently caused the streaming service to take action, and Twitch's product chief Tom Verrilli stated in response to the report that "even one single instance of grooming is abhorrent." The platform's recent blog post says the work to protect underage users is ongoing.
While there are alternative streaming platforms such as YouTube, Twitch is undeniably the most successful streaming website on the internet. With millions of users, not to mention a host of highly successful content creators, it's many people's first port of call for live broadcasts, which means the site needs to do everything it can to make sure people feel safe.