Twitch has updated and clarified its policy on explicit and sexual content after a streamer was banned over the weekend for appearing to be topless in a stream.

The streamer, Morgpie, was live on the Amazon-owned streaming platform with her shoulders and collarbone visible. She received a ban from the online stream platform as a result. Speaking to Dexerto, the streamer stated that she is fully clothed, wearing a very low-cut top which is not visible on camera.

In their announcement, Twitch acknowledged their previous guidelines were confusing because there were two sections which dealt with sexually explicit content, along with further guidelines on when streamers need to label their content as including sexual themes.

The guidelines now clarify that female presenting streamers must not show their nipples on stream and that they do not permit exposed under-bust. They do allow cleavage and as a result Morgpie argues that she did not break the terms of service.

Twitch acknowledged that the previous wording of their policy resulted in female presenting users of the platform being unfairly and disproportionately penalized. As a result, some previously banned content will now be allowed with a label.

We’ve gotten feedback that our policies around sexual content are unclear so we’ve drawn clearer boundaries between what is & isn’t permitted on Twitch.

We also recognize that not everyone wants to see certain content, so we’re updating our criteria for homepage recommendations. pic.twitter.com/rvZ4kFADR6

— Twitch (@Twitch) December 13, 2023

Twitch makes updates to the front page policy

In the updated policy, the live-streaming platform has also clarified how content is promoted to the front page. Previously, users arriving to the Twitch homepage had a chance to see thumbnails from streams that included content that was labeled as mature.

However, the website has changed its homepage recommendation algorithm so that any stream labeled Drugs, Intoxication, or Excessive Tobacco Use; Violent and Graphic Depictions; Gambling; and/or Sexual Themes will no longer be eligible for promotion on the homepage. However, streams labeled as containing profanity or mature games will not be affected and will still be included on the homepage.

The statement released says: “Making this change helps ensure that viewers will not see content they haven’t consented to see.”

Twitch launched in 2011 as a live streaming service focused on gamings. It hit 3.2 million users per month within its first year.

Three years later, Amazon parted with $970 million in cash to acquire Twitch. Today, Twitch has 140 million monthly active users (MAUs).

Featured image credit: Twitch

Ali Rees

Ali Rees is a freelance journalist and mature student based in Scotland.