Twitch is tackling sexual harassment on the streaming platform with an update to its policy

Changes are coming to Twitch in order to create a safer environment for streamers and users, with the company recently updating their sexual harassment policy to better define the situation and protect streamers, all the while adding a new feature to the platform to get rid of offensive messages before they even show up in chat.

The announcement was made through Twitch’s official blog, in which they go into detail about the changes. Mainly, they stated their new definition of sexual harassment on the platform to create “clear boundaries” about what is and isn’t allowed.

“In order for our sexual harassment policy to be effective, we need a shared understanding of what sexual harassment is and how it shows up,” states the blog. “We define sexual harassment to encompass non-physical behaviors of a sexual nature that cause users to feel uncomfortable, degraded, unsafe, or discouraged from participation. We prohibit unwanted comments–including comments made using emojis/emotes–regarding someone’s appearance or body, sexual requests or advances, sexual objectification, and negative statements or attacks related to a person’s perceived sexual behaviors or activities, regardless of their gender. We also do not tolerate the recording or sharing of non-consensual intimate images or videos under any circumstances, and may report such content to law enforcement.”

The new definition is hence much more careful about everything going on in the platform, which goes hand in hand with their newest feature: AutoMod. While this moderating tool was already active, it’s been updated as well to get rid of sexual harassment messages before they even have a chance to appear in the live chat. But as with many other tools, this new AutoMod is also customizable to allow for different kinds of language depending on the streamer and their audience. As of right now this feature is only available in English, but there seem to be plans to expand it beyond in the future.

A bumpy year for Twitch

The streaming giant has been struggling alongside the rest of the video game industry, with layoffs taking place last year, several controversies due to popular streamers, and more issues being revealed. Even the company’s CEO went on record to declare that their business isn’t really profitable in the long run, causing users to freak out a little bit at the prospect of their livelihoods being endangered.

However, as with anything in the entertainment industry, Twitch is an ever evolving beast, with new and different streamers taking the spotlight, and still thousands of people managing to cultivate a healthy community in it.

It’s impossible to know just how these updates will affect the platform in general, but at the very least it’s proof that things continue to be in motion on the other side of the screen to better the service.

Follow MeriStation USA on X (formerly known as Twitter). Your video game and entertainment website for all the news, updates, and breaking news from the world of video games, movies, series, manga, and anime. Previews, reviews, interviews, trailers, gameplay, podcasts and more. Follow us now!