The moderation of content available on social networks is a real headache, both for creators and users and for the platforms themselves and brands. The reason ? Fear of offering or being associated with inappropriate content for young audiences. It is in this sense that Roblox recently decided to add a category reserved for users aged 17 and over on its platform.
Twitch has also unveiled new categories intended to better categorize mature content. “to facilitate the task of streamers and streamers, as well as their audience”, said the platform on its blog. On Twitch, content rating descriptors help users find the right channels, protect minor audiences from inappropriate content, and help advertisers better target their intended audience. To access it, users will only have to give their consent, but will not be automatically blocked according to their age.
The behavior of streamers under surveillance
Now, instead of opting for the general tag “adult content”streamers will have to specify the classification of their stream between the following themes: “mature games, sexual themes, drugs, alcohol or excessive tobacco consumption, violent and shocking depictions, significant rudeness or vulgarity, gambling”.
This new moderation concerns both the nature of the games played in streaming and the behavior of the streamer. Indeed, a streamer or a streamer uttering vulgarities live will have to add the tag “significant rudeness or vulgarity” even if the current game is not categorized as an adult game. Note that Twitch will automatically add the tag “mature games” if a streamer plays a video game rated M, reserved for young adults, by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Obviously, if the profanity uttered or even the consumption of alcohol and tobacco is occasional, the streamer will not have the obligation to add the tag concerned.
To associate the correct classification to his stream, the creator will only have to select the correct content descriptor in the Modify stream info window of the stream manager during the launch procedure. Note that the tags can be modified even if the stream is in progress, which implies that the creator can change the subject during the broadcast as long as the classification is correct. “Unless manually deleted, descriptors will automatically be applied to the next stream. They will also be automatically applied to all VoDs associated with that stream”says Twitch.
What are the risks ?
What does a streamer risk if they add the wrong content descriptor? Unexpectedly, Twitch will not suspend the affected channel. Streamers will only receive an email warning if the appropriate handles are not added to the stream. If the warnings follow one another, “the appropriate handles will be applied to the affected channel and may remain locked for several days or even weeks, depending on the number of warnings sent”. Streamers will have the ability to check the time remaining for a forced descriptor application by going to the Content Rating field in the Stream Manager.
This new classification could also have an effect on streamers’ ad revenue, as Twitch pointed out: “It’s also possible that some brands don’t want to run their ads alongside streams that have certain content rating descriptors.”
However, the visibility of the stream will not be affected in any way by the use of a descriptor and the creator will therefore not suffer from shadow banthe fact of not seeing its content offered on the platform.