What parents need to know. Is Twitch Safe for Children?

If you're a parent trying to navigate the digital world, chances are you've heard your child talk about Twitch. It's one of the most popular live-streaming platforms today, particularly among kids and teens. But what exactly is Twitch, and more importantly, is it safe for your child to use?

Twitch, owned by Amazon, is a live-streaming platform that allows people to broadcast themselves playing video games, chatting, cooking, creating art, and more in real-time. The platform, available on the web, mobile app, and gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, attracts over 140 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular destinations for streaming content.

The main directory has over 40.000 games to choose from to instantly find live videos of people playing that game. Users can follow their favorite broadcasters for free or subscribe to their channel for an additional fee. Anyone can become a broadcaster and earn money from subscriptions.

While Twitch started as a platform primarily for gamers, it has expanded to include a variety of content categories, such as music, arts, sports, and IRL (In Real life) streaming featuring streamers broadcasting their daily lives, with viewers watching spontaneous, real-time moments.

One of the most popular categories is "Just Chatting," where streamers talk directly to their audience, either through text or voice chat. This category doesn't involve any gameplay and focuses more on personal interaction, which appeals to many young users.

Twitch Dangers for Children

Twitch requires users to be at least 13 years old to use their platform, but the age restriction can be bypassed easily. Like many live-streaming platforms, Twitch can expose kids and teens to risks, including:

1. Inappropriate Content. Twitch streams are live, so there's no delay to filter out inappropriate content. Kids could be exposed to violent games or mature language, including swearing, references to drugs, alcohol, or hate speech.
2. Unfiltered Chats. In the live chat feature where viewers can interact with streamers and each other in real time, and the dialogues can sometimes include inappropriate language, bullying, or even explicit messages, making it an unsafe space for children.
3. IRL streaming. While this might seem harmless, it can sometimes lead to inappropriate behavior. In some cases, viewers may donate money and ask the streamer to do risky or inappropriate challenges, such as drinking alcohol or engaging in revealing behaviors.
4. Whispers (Private Messages): Like direct messages on other platforms, whispers allow private conversations. While some streamers create a safer environment, unsolicited private messages can still occur. Unless a user is blocked on Twitch, you can pretty much send a whisper to anyone.

Twitch Privacy Settings You Can Set Up

Take these steps to make your child's Twitch experience safer:

1. Enable the Mature Content Filter.

Twitch allows you to restrict access to streams that have been labeled as "mature." Go to your child's account settings, find the Mature Content option, and ensure it's enabled. This filter won't block all inappropriate content, but it's a step in the right direction.

2. Disable Private Messages (Whispers)

Private messages on Twitch, known as Whispers, can pose a risk, especially if your child is receiving unsolicited messages from strangers. You can disable this feature by going to Settings > Security and Privacy and checking the option to block incoming Whispers from strangers.

3. Limit Chat Interaction

You can manage who can chat with your child by adjusting chat settings. Go to the Chat Settings under Moderation, and restrict chats to only followers or subscribers.

4. Block Gifts from Strangers

You can block gifts from people your child doesn't follow by logging into their Twitch account, clicking their profile picture in the top right, selecting Settings and then navigating to the Security and Privacy tab.

5. Opt-Out of Ad Tracking

To opt out of Ad Tracking, go to the Privacy Settings on a mobile device and look under Tracking or Ads. From there, you can disable ad tracking to prevent your device from collecting data used to personalize ads.

How to Protect Children on Twitch

Here are a few tips:

• Explore the App Together. Before allowing your child to use Twitch, sit down together and explore the app. Make sure they understand the risks involved and that they know they can come to you if something makes the uncomfortable.
• Discuss Safe Streamers. Talk to your child about the streamers they follow. Consider approving a list of streamers that you've checked beforehand to ensure they produce age-appropriate content.
• Set Clear Rules. Establish boundaries for how long your child can use Twitch and which streams they are allowed to watch. You can even use screen time limits to help enforce these rules. Bitdefender Parental Control gives you all the tools you need to create a healthy online environment for your child. From filtering out harmful content to setting structured daily routines like study or bedtime, it's designed to help build balanced digital habits. It's included in all Bitdefender paid products—so if you already have one, you just need to activate it.
• Stay Involved in Their Digital Lives. Check-in regularly to see what streams they're watching, and try to watch a few streams together. This will help you stay in the loop and give you the opportunity to discuss any concerns.

FAQs

Is Twitch safe for kids?

Twitch can be safe for kids with proper supervision and privacy settings set up such as disabling private messages and restricting chat interactions.

Can kids talk to strangers on Twitch?

Yes, kids can interact with strangers through Twitch's chat feature and private messages called "Whispers." However, parents can limit or block these interactions by adjusting the privacy settings, such as disabling Whispers from strangers and managing who can participate in chat rooms.

What is the safest streaming platform for kids?

The safest streaming platforms for kids are those designed specifically with children in mind, such as YouTube Kids. They have stricter content filters, parental controls, and moderation to ensure a safe environment for young users. However, no platform is completely risk-free, so parental supervision and privacy settings are needed to keep children safe, even on kid-friendly platforms. For older kids, Twitch can be made safer by adjusting privacy settings and monitoring the content they engage with.