Twitch has announced a new feature that will allow viewers to greatly customize their viewing experience right down to blurring thumbnails for streams with sexual content.
Amazon-owned Twitch has taken multiple steps to make its service more user-friendly and its latest update on May 21, 2024 is taking things a step further with new filtering options.
Streaming sites have had issues with adult content dating back to the rise of the hot tub meta, where streamers would splash around in pools in swimwear, resulting in a great deal of controversy.
While Twitch solved the problem by giving those streams their own category away from the popular Just Chatting section, similar issues arose as more controversial broadcasts took form over the years.
Now, Twitch has appeared to solve this problem once and for all by making it so users who don’t want to see adult content never have to – and it extends to other types of streams, too.
We want Twitch to be a welcoming place for everyone, and recognize that content enjoyed by some may not be a good fit for others. Today we’re rolling out two new content filtering and blurring tools that give you more control over your viewing experience.Hide content labeled… pic.twitter.com/PSyPzbej0Q
— Twitch (@Twitch) May 21, 2024
As announced by the site, users can now hide content marked with select Content Classification Labels (CCLs) such as sexual content, gambling, drugs, profanity and even M-rated games such as Grand Theft Auto.
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For users who may not want to “hide” such content, they also have the option to blur thumbnails for streams marked as having “sexual themes.” However, any channels that a user already follows won’t be blurred even when a CCL is applied.
This policy is now the default for users, so you’ll need to manually change them if you’re unhappy with the new filters.
Simply navigate to settings in your profile and click on “Content Preferences.” From there, you can edit everything to your heart’s content to create the best viewing experience for you.
“We believe Twitch should be a welcoming place for everyone, and recognize that content enjoyed by some may not be a good fit for others,” the platform said in a statement. “We recognize that everyone’s viewing preferences differ, and you should have more control over what you encounter when you come to Twitch.”
This new feature comes as Twitch continues to make updates to improve its user experience and tackle some of the platform’s biggest problems. CEO Dan Clancy has even admitted that the site’s ban system needs a lot of work and has plans to be much more transparent about suspensions in upcoming changes.