In a bid to offer a more tailored viewing experience, Twitch has updated its filtering tools, enabling users to exclude livestreams featuring mature themes such as sexual, violent, and profane content.
This update aims to spare viewers the hassle of sifting through numerous streams to find content devoid of explicit material, such as someone innocently enjoying soda pop while playing through games like Hades 2.
The new filter settings, introduced in accordance with the platform’s recently-issued Content Classification Guidelines, allow users to opt out of specific content labels.
These guidelines mandate creators to appropriately label their livestreams if they contain elements like sexual imagery, depictions of violence, gambling, excessive profanity, and drug use. Moreover, these labels extend to livestreams featuring mature-rated games.
By enabling these filters, users can hide entire categories when searching for content to watch, thereby facilitating a more curated viewing experience. Previously, these content labels served merely as data points to assist Twitch users in making informed viewing choices.
Accessible within profile settings under Content Display Preferences, the content classification filters, once activated, apply to all recommendations, search results, and streams encountered during casual browsing.
The system retains preferred filter adjustments, streamlining the process for users. For viewers under 18, Twitch automatically applies the majority of these filter settings.
In a related development, Twitch is introducing another feature today: the ability to blur preview thumbnails for streams labeled as containing sexual themes.
This feature, enabled by default, can be toggled on or off via settings. However, if a user follows a channel, the thumbnail remains unblurred, even if their classification labels exclude sexual content.
Twitch has been refining its policies regarding sexual content over time. It recently permitted nudity on the platform, provided it was appropriately labeled, before reversing its stance.
Presently, Twitch mandates streamers to conceal buttocks, genitals, and (for female-presenting streamers) nipples and underbust areas. Visible outlines of genitals are also prohibited, although these regulations are subject to change.
