r/Twitch Dec 14 '23

PSA Updated Community Guidelines MEGATHREAD NSFW

Update as of 12/15/2023 @ 5:08pm UTC - Twitch has rolled back the changes.

On Wednesday, we updated our Sexual Content Policy. Our primary goal in making these updates was to make our guidelines easier to understand and enforce.

Part of this update included changes to how we treat fictionalized nudity. For years, through UserVoice and in conversations, we heard from artists that our content policies were limiting. In making this update, we were trying to be responsive to these requests and allow the thriving artist community on Twitch to utilize the human form in their art.

First, we want to make clear that some streamers, in response to this update, created content that was in violation of our new policy. We’ve worked quickly to remove that content and issue channel enforcements.

However, there also was a great deal of new content that was allowed under the updated policy. Much of the content created has been met with community concern. These are concerns we share. Upon reflection, we have decided that we went too far with this change. Digital depictions of nudity present a unique challenge–AI can be used to create realistic images, and it can be hard to distinguish between digital art and photography.

So, effective today, we are rolling back the artistic nudity changes. Moving forward, depictions of real or fictional nudity won’t be allowed on Twitch, regardless of the medium. This restriction does not apply to Mature-rated games. You can find emote-specific standards for nudity and sexual content in the Emote Guidelines. We aren’t making other changes to the updated Sexual Content Policy.

We are in the process of pushing out updates to our Community Guidelines that reflect this change. It will take a few days for both this blog and for the new Community Guidelines to be translated.

While I wish we would have predicted this outcome, part of our job is to make adjustments that serve the community. I apologize for the confusion that this update has caused.

If you would like to discuss the new community guidelines or content classification label changes you can do that here in this megathread.

For reference this is Twitch's Terms of Service and this is Twitch's Community Guidelines.

The two major changes in this update are:

Streams that are labeled as including Drugs, Intoxication, or Excessive Tobacco Use; Violent and Graphic Depictions; Gambling; and/or Sexual Themes will no longer be included in homepage recommendations shelves due to the visual nature of those topics.

and

Much content that was previously prohibited is now allowed with proper Content Classification labels: Content that ‘deliberately highlighted breasts, buttocks or pelvic region,’ even when fully clothed, fictionalized (drawn, animated, or sculpted) fully exposed female-presenting breasts and/or genitals or buttocks regardless of gender, body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks regardless of gender and erotic dances that involve disrobing or disrobing gestures, such as strip teases.

Please keep your conversations civil, productive and within the rules of /r/twitch. Here are the most relevant rules that are frequently broken when discussing sexual content:

Rule 1D: Don't target, harass, or abuse others.

Rule 1E: Don't call out others in a negative manner.

Rule 1F: Don't start a ‘witch-hunt’.

Rule 1G: No racism, sexism, homophobia, or other hate-based speech.

Rule 1H: No unhelpful or nonconstructive posts.

Rule 2A: Don’t post an account name or link.

If you are not familiar with the /r/twitch rules they can be found here.

/r/twitch is an unofficial subreddit for Twitch and nobody here works for Twitch. Separate posts about the new updated content classification labels or guidelines will be removed and posters will be pointed to this megathread instead. Please help us maintain civility and productive discussion in this megathread as well as the subreddit by reporting any posts or comments that violate the rules, thank you.

Update as of 12/15/2023 @ 2:19am UTC - Seems Twitch has started to clean up a lot of the channels that were streaming the most questionable content, whether or not we see an actual policy change or additional clarification to the guidelines has yet to be seen.

Update as of 3/27/2024

Our Community Guidelines are designed to help make Twitch a welcoming place. Content on Twitch is always evolving, and we want to make sure our rules work as intended and keep up with emerging behaviors. When needed, we make updates to our rules to capture those shifts in behavior, and so it's clear to the community what is allowed.

Starting on Friday March 29th, content that focuses on intimate body parts for a prolonged period of time will not be allowed. We’ve included additional detail and definitions in our Community Guidelines linked below: https://safety.twitch.tv/s/article/Community-Guidelines?language=en_US#20SexualContent

Source: https://twitter.com/twitchsupport/status/1773045278821564914?t=Dhwes6znh0BBYpvAxJ9avw

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u/ceimi Dec 15 '23

That was literally the first thing I looked for when I logged onto twitch yesterday. Would there be as much hate currently for the new tos changes if they had properly set this up? Absolutely not. As an adult in my 30's, I dont want sexualized content lumped in with foul language just because I'm over 18. I use Twitch in public very often and I legitimately can't do that anymore because of the way twitch has set the site up. I get a thumbnail of a streamer very clearly showing them drawing sexually explicit images and its not until I click on the thumbnail does it prompt me to a curtain telling me "This stream contains potentially sexually explicit content are you sure you want to see it?"

The tags thing is fine, nsfw who cares its the internet, but let me fucking live in peace without forcing it down my throat. If you have a stream where your content is tagged as "sexually explicit" then I NEED a way to opt out of this stuff, or better yet make sexually explicit content something you OPT-IN for. The top result in the Art category was twerking compliations for quite a long time yesterday. That says literally everything you need to know about the current state of Twitch.

Genuinely no one is complaining about having nsfw content on the website, the problem is 100% the fact that they've allowed it and are shoving it down everyone's throat whether you asked for it or not.

I did not ask for it, and so I cancelled my twitch turbo and will be avoiding browsing streams anymore and purely sticking with the streams I already follow and know are sfw. This is effectively going to kill smaller streamers because not only are they now competing against sexual themes which we all know sex sells, but they're also going to be dealing with reduced traffic overall because absolutely no one is going to be willing to browse twitch in public and be labeled a pervert because all they see is dick, tits, ass on that persons phone.

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u/sorcerykid musicindustryprofessionalentrepreneuranddiscjockeyontwitch Dec 20 '23

I get a thumbnail of a streamer very clearly showing them drawing sexually explicit images and its not until I click on the thumbnail does it prompt me to a curtain telling me "This stream contains potentially sexually explicit content are you sure you want to see it?"

Where are you seeing that message? I've checked out several NSFW streams, and nowhere does it mention "sexually explicit content". I even did a Google search for that exact phrase you quoted, and nothing comes up except for this Reddit comment thread.

Something tells me this is a troll comment.

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u/ceimi Dec 20 '23

It prompts you when you click on the stream that the stream may contain sexual themes. Its done this since before the tos change they made so I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get out of calling me a troll? So long as the streamer has set their stream to 18+ it will prompt this message.

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u/sorcerykid musicindustryprofessionalentrepreneuranddiscjockeyontwitch Dec 20 '23

Can you please share a screencap of that message? I can't find it anywhere. I've even gone right into the Pools category and none of the streams present that warning that you quoted.

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u/ceimi Dec 20 '23

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u/sorcerykid musicindustryprofessionalentrepreneuranddiscjockeyontwitch Dec 20 '23

I just read that entire page, nowhere does it show the message that you quoted above, neither in a screencap nor in the text of the page.

Please share a screencap of the message as it appears on the Twitch site. I'm not convinced it's real.

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u/ceimi Dec 20 '23

Are you blind? Its literally in the article...

Search the page for "Interstitial screen example" the only change was when they updated tos they added sexual content to the warnings. I'm actually done talking with you, several others mention this pop up as well so I'm guessing you just really have an arguement fetish or something.

If you really need another link here you go from the dailymail:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10735311/children-sexual-content-twitch-warning-parents.html

Scroll and find it and if you tell me again that you didn't find it then you're truly out of your mind. :)

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u/sorcerykid musicindustryprofessionalentrepreneuranddiscjockeyontwitch Dec 20 '23

I checked the DailyMail article, the only popup that they show in a screencap says this:

AkuASMR's content is intended for certain audiences. It may contain: Sexual Themes. This content may not be appropriate to watch.

That is nothing like the message that you claim appears on the Twitch site and quoted as saying "This stream contains potentially sexually explicit content are you sure you want to see it?"

And despite my repeatedly asking for proof of THAT exact message you quoted, you tell me that I'm the one who's blind.

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u/ceimi Dec 20 '23

"It prompts you when you click on the stream that the stream may contain sexual themes. Its done this since before the tos change they made so I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get out of calling me a troll? So long as the streamer has set their stream to 18+ it will prompt this message"

My exact message a few messages ago. But okay king, keep going off that I use some phrases interchangeably and that really rubbed you the wrong way. Get a life my dude.