Twitch, the platform owned by Amazon, is once again adjusting its policies regarding sexual content, this time with a focus on prohibiting implied nudity. Despite existing restrictions on nudity, the updated policy explicitly addresses attire that may suggest or imply nudity. Angela Hession, Chief Customer Trust Officer, emphasized in a blog post that Twitch prohibits users from even hinting at partial or complete nudity. The use of censor bars to cover private organs in a manner that implies nudity is also banned, with an emphasis on ensuring that streamers are visibly wearing appropriate clothing.
Hession further highlighted concerns about thumbnails associated with such content, acknowledging that they can be disturbing for some users. Notably, content tagged under sexual themes is not displayed on the home page but is accessible through the content browsing section, a popular destination for many Twitch users searching for content.
In response to these challenges, Twitch is actively developing an update that will blur thumbnails for content labeled as sexual themes. Additionally, users will soon have the ability to filter content tagged under mature themes, including sexual content, alcohol, tobacco, or explicit language.
This policy adjustment follows a previous relaxation of Twitch’s sexual content policies, which initially allowed for the display of content that was previously prohibited. However, creators quickly began experimenting with the new policy, finding ways to suggest partial or full nudity without explicitly violating the platform’s nudity prohibition. Notably, a streamer and OnlyFans model known as Morgpie gained attention for positioning the camera in a way that implied toplessness without showing prohibited content. Although technically within the platform’s guidelines, such content became controversial within the Twitch community.