Twitch Guide for Parents & Educators

Twitch is a popular live streaming platform that many students are using to watch live videos of their favorite streamers, but many parents wonder if it is safe for students to use.  Live streaming allows a creator to broadcast video in real-time while they play a video game, watch a tv show, host a show from their home while they talk to the audience or a guest, and more.

In this guide you are going to learn:

1) What is Twitch, why students use it, and what they are seeing?

2) What are the dangers?

3) How can parents help their students use the site safely?

Parent & educator training video

Educators and parents: Guide your students' reflection and discussion with this student worksheet.

‍(Log in to your Google account and select File-->Make a Copy)

(This student-friendly video can be shown in the classroom or at home)

(Click on the three lines or a blue dot in video progress bar to skip to a chapter)

1. What is Twitch?
2. Where is Twitch available?
3. Why do students want to use Twitch?
4. What are the dangers?
5. Why should parents care?
6. What can parents do?
7. Important privacy settings
8. Moderation settings for streamers

What is Twitch?

• Twitch is a live streaming video platform with more than 140 million active monthly viewers (Source: Earthweb)
• The platform is predominantly used to live stream gamers while they are playing video games with live commentary and allows viewers to talk with each other through live chat and audio 
• A popular streamer can earn money from their Twitch channel by gaining subscribers and donations from other users
• Some popular video formats are eSports tournaments, personal streams of live gameplay on popular video games, gaming-related talk shows, and non gaming topics like music, creative, and IRL (in real life)
• ~Music content can be from radio shows, music production activities, or live music shows
• ~Creative content showcases the process of completing an artistic or creative piece of work
• ~IRL (in real life) content is for any video that doesn’t fit into the other main categories such as talk shows & podcasts, politics, ASMR, pools, hot tubs, and beaches, travel & outdoors, Science and technology, Fitness & health, Just chatting, etc. 
• Viewers can choose to be invisible while they watch live streams
• Videos can be watched live or watched via replay after the live broadcast
• “Games are restricted from broadcast if the game violates our Community Guidelines as it applies to hate speech, sex, nudity, gratuitous gore, extreme violence or if the official ESRB rating is Adults Only. Game reviews are conducted following reports from the community. If the game is unrated by the ESRB and a wholly-comparable rated title cannot be found, the moderation team determines whether the game violates our Community Guidelines. Titles may be restricted if they are sufficiently extreme by a single element of the game (e.g. sexual content, violence, intent) or several elements in aggregate violate our policies.” (Source: Twitch)

“Twitch is where millions of people come together live every day to chat, interact, and make their own entertainment together.” - Twitch Marketing

What is Twitch rated?

Apple App Rating: 17+

Google Play Rating: T (Teen)

Also available on: Desktop, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, and Android devices

Operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.

Based in San Francisco, CA

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

• Users must be 13 years or older to sign up for Twitch but there is no age verification so younger users can still access the site

Examples of Twitch dangers in the news

...[T]he behavior exhibited by many members of this group follows typical grooming techniques. Some use the same tactics on multiple streams, even seconds later. They can start out by asking innocuous questions about a child’s favorite color and work their way to demands for live sexual acts. - Bloomberg

A researcher... found hundreds of seemingly predatory accounts run by adults that mostly followed children or young teenagers. - Wired

Why do students want to be on Twitch?

• Students want to use Twitch to watch videos of their favorite video games being played and to gain tips and tricks to use when playing the games themselves
• They also like to share what they are doing whether it’s in video games, their own hobbies or activities or share their opinions with the world
• Many students use Twitch to connect with other gamers or fans in the gaming community and join discussions in real-time
• Many users like to use the site to discover new games 
• With such a wide variety of channels to search from, students may find it fun to discover and connect with new streamers

Why should parents & educators care?

• Twitch is one of the leading live streaming video services for video gaming in the US and is very popular with students. 41% of all users on Twitch are under the age of 24 (Source: Backlinko)
• The live chats are a main feature of the platform which can be dangerous for tweens and teens with the possibility of online predators and mature content
• There are zero parental controls built into Twitch and because of the nature of live streaming, it is very easy for students to access inappropriate content, even on accident
• There are some privacy and security settings that can help reduce contact with potential online predators, but they are not foolproof and can easily be changed by the student (see how to find those settings below)
• Graphic video games, mature language, and adult live streams are very prevalent on the site, despite Twitch's Community Guidelines that say “Nudity and sexually explicit content or activities, such as pornography, sexual acts or intercourse, and sexual services, are prohibited” (Source: Twitch Community Guidelines)
• Twitch users can receive direct messages from other users called “whispers”
• Users are constantly being encouraged to make purchases on Twitch, so costs can add up if parents aren’t monitoring or setting guidelines
• Popular streamers can make money from other users for the videos they create

What can parents & educators do?

• Sign up for a Twitch account and get familiar with the site to decide if you think it is appropriate for your student
• Talk to your student and ask them if they have an account or if their friends use the platform
• If you decide Twitch is safe for your student, be on the platform with them several times a week to monitor their activity
• Create a Smartphone and Social Media Agreement WITH your student to set screen time guidelines and expectations that meet your family’s rules
• Configure their account settings to limit who they can talk to and block private messages from strangers (See steps and screenshots to do this below)
• Remind your students to never share personal information (like their full name, address, or passwords) with anyone on Twitch or online
• Know who their favorite streamers are and what games your students like and watch some of those videos with them to determine if they are safe for your family
• Create a supportive environment by telling your students that they can always come to you (or a trusted adult) if they come across content that makes them uncomfortable on Twitch
• Consider setting up screen time limits and restrictions through parental controls with Apple Screen Time or Android's Digital Wellbeing

Privacy/setting recommendations for Twitch

How to block private messages

• Tap on the icon in the upper right hand corner
• Tap “Settings”
• Tap “Security and Privacy”
• Scroll down to “Privacy”
• Turn on “Block Whispers from Strangers”

How to turn off all Notifications

• From the “Settings” menu, go to “Security and Privacy”
• Scroll down and tap “On Twitch”
• Turn off “All notifications on Twitch”
• Tap “By Email”
• Turn off “All Emails”
• Tap “On Mobile”
• Turn off “All push notifications”

How to enable chat filters as a viewer

• Users can select filters to block in chat across all channels 
• While watching a live stream tap on the gear icon next to the “Chat” button
• Turn on “Enable filtering in chat”
• Scroll down and turn on all of the filters

How to report a Streamer

• Twitch users have the ability to report a streamer due to violence, bullying, self-harm, nudity, scams, terrorism, and more
• While watching a live stream tap on the three dots below the video feed
• Tap “Report Live Stream” or “Report Something Else”
• Check why you are submitting the report

How to report/block a user

• Twitch allows users to report or block other users within the chat window
• While watching a live stream, in the chat window click on the user name you want to report/block
• Tap on the three dots
• Tap “Block” or “Report”

How to find moderation settings for streamers

• If students may want to stream videos on Twitch turn on AutoMod to have potentially inappropriate or harmful messages detected and held to be reviewed by a moderator
• From the “Creator Dashboard”, tap “Settings”
• Tap “Moderation”
• Tap “AutoMod Rulesets”
• Tap “Turn on AutoMod”
• Select which level by sliding the slider next to “Your AutoMod Setting”
• ~Level 1 is A Little Moderation - Level 4 is A Lot of Moderation
• Tap “Save”

How to find chat settings for streamers

• Twitch allows streamers to set who is allowed to chat on their own channel
• From the “Creator Dashboard”, tap “Settings”
• Tap “Moderation”
• Scroll down to “Channel Privileges”
• Under “Email Verification”, turn on “All chatters” to require that all chatters must have a verified email address
• Under “Phone Verification” turn on “All chatters” to require that all chatters must have a verified phone number

Key terms/slang about Twitch

• Bits - Virtual goods that you can buy with real money and give to streamers to show support or gain attention in chats
• Subscriptions - Twitch users can spend money to subscribe to a channel 
• TwitchCon - A convention for the Twitch community with a focus on the culture of live streaming and video gaming
• Twitch Prime - Is Prime Gaming through Amazon which is a premium gaming experience that is included with Amazon Prime and Prime Video memberships
• Whisper - A direct message within Twitch

Conclusion

No matter how much you configure your student’s Twitch security settings, there is no way to know if the content is safe for your student unless you become familiar with the platform and review their favorite streamers or videos. However, we recommend students focus on apps that can have a positive impact on their digital footprint. 

More resources for parents, students, & educators

Create a smartphone and social media agreement for your family with the SmartSocial template

To learn about Discord and other chat apps, read our Discord Safety Guide for Parents, Educators, & Students

Learn more about YouTube in Navigating YouTube: (A Course for Parents, Educators, & Students)