Earlier this month, Twitch outlined major updates to its community guidelines. The new guidelines were designed to address harassment and sexual content and aimed to make it clear how streamers and users on the platform should and shouldn't behave. However, right as the new guidelines are set to go live, Twitch has announced that they have been delayed.

In a tweet posted to the official Twitch Twitter account, the live-streaming platform confirmed that it is "pushing back" enforcement of the guidelines until March 5. The guidelines were initially supposed to go live on February 19.

This delay has been done in response to the "insightful feedback" on the new community guidelines, says the company, adding that it is "important they're clear to everyone and we need to better explain some section." Twitch also confirms that it will be releasing an updated FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sections before then, though a specific date for the new FAQ was not given.

The delay seems to have gone down well among Twitch broadcasters, especially those who were left feeling confused and concerned when the new community guidelines were unveiled. Many expressed fears that they would be punished for the actions of their viewers, arguing that it wouldn't be fair if the negative actions of their fans led to them being penalized by the Twitch moderation team.

Likewise, the rule saying that all attire worn by streamers should be appropriate for a public street, mall, or restaurant also raised eyebrows. For example, wearing footie pajamas may be appropriate for a Twitch stream but would not be appropriate for a restaurant (it may also turn heads in a mall or on a public street). In some places, it is also legal to be scantily clad in public but the Twitch moderation team might not necessarily agree. There seems to be a lot of grey area and that's a huge concern to Twitch streamers trying to avoid bans or other punishments.

If the ongoing YouTube controversy is anything to go by, video platforms like Twitch and YouTube have a huge responsibility to both viewers concerned about toxic or sexual behavior as well as the streamers who rely on these platforms for their income. It's a fine line and a lot of people may end up getting upset, which is perhaps why Twitch is taking this extra time to ensure that it gets these changes right.

Twitch is also growing at a rapid rate, with its viewership surpassing CNN and MSNBC. Ongoing concerns surrounding harassment and sexual content will only hinder that growth, making it even more important for the live-streaming platform to sort this out.

Source: Twitch - Twitter