Twitch is one of the most popular streaming platforms. Millions of viewers from around the world visit it every day, watching thousands of broadcasts ranging from esports and Let's Plays to politics. Like on any platform, Twitch has a set of rules for streamers, violation of which can lead to suspension or permanent ban of the channel. In this article, we'll tell you what you can't do while streaming live and when you're offline if you don't want to lose your Twitch access.
What types of bans are there on Twitch?
Twitch has three types of penalties for streamers — a warning, suspension, and permanent ban. These are given for violating the Community Guidelines. For example, for distributing inappropriate content, insulting other people, advertising prohibited resources, etc. The harshness of the punishment depends directly on the level of fault and the type of violations. Repeated "minor" violations on Twitch will accumulate and, over time, may lead to more serious consequences for a streamer.
Warning is usually not intended to block a channel, but to notify the streamer that he or she has violated a rule of the platform. For example, if the content creator accidentally violated someone's copyright during the broadcast (by playing someone else's music or showing a piece of film) — in this case, the Twitch administration will give him or her a warning and remove the VOD or broadcast segment containing the violation.
Suspension is one of the most common penalties on Twitch. The duration of such blocking can be 3, 7 or 30 days, depending on the type of the violation. The period can also be shorter if the streamer successfully appeals to the moderators. Duration of blocking also depends on the previous violations. For example, for the first violation the streamer will receive the minimum period, and for the subsequent — a longer one. In the section below we will tell you what permanent ban can be given for.
Permanent ban is the most serious type of punishment on Twitch. Usually, permanent channel bans are given to streamers who blatantly and deliberately violate the rules of the platform, despite numerous warnings from the administration. This kind of blocking can also be received for destructive behavior or violation of the law, even outside the service.
What can I get banned for?
The official Twitch website has a large section with a list of rules and prohibitions for streamers. You can read more about it there, but here we will give some of the most common examples:
Insults and harassment of viewers, other streamers or third parties. Aggressive statements or attacks on someone can be a reason for blocking the channel. For example, once a streamer was banned for arguing with his girlfriend on a live stream and hitting her. Another streamer was punished for insulting his young son who distracted him from the game during the broadcast. A famous streamer received a ban for mistreating her cat when she rudely threw it off a chair. In some cases, the administration of Twitch can go to the police in order to have a preventive conversation with such offenders. There are also precedents when content creators received warnings and bans even for excessively aggressive behavior towards NPCs / game characters.
Hate conduct based on gender, religion, ethnicity, gender, or other characteristics. Twitch takes this very seriously, so you can get banned for even a casual or joking insult. The platform also has an unwritten list of forbidden words, saying which on a live stream will result in getting banned (n-word, f-word, etc.).
You can also get a long-term ban for deliberately inciting hatred against another content creator. For example, one famous streamer once literally pitted his fans against a female streamer with whom he had a conflict. Viewers took it as a joke, came to her broadcast and started writing insults. As a result, the provocateur received a permanent ban on the platform.
The demonstration and distribution of prohibited content can also lead to a ban on Twitch. This primarily applies to sexual content in all its forms and contexts. For example, if a streamer draws body art on a live stream or wears too explicit outfits for on a broadcast. Even unintentional violations can lead to blocking, so the content creator should be cautious about any links he or she is asked to open in a chat (there may be pornography). Content that displays or incites themes of terrorism, cruelty, immoral behavior, and breaking the law also qualifies as "prohibited". Ads for gambling sites, illegal marketplaces, etc. are also prohibited. The list can go further, and is constantly growing.
Self-harm is another reason to get banned on the platform. This includes both literal physical self-harm and the distribution of content that can lead to it. In the first case, it could be the performance of health-threatening stunts, self-inflicted injuries, etc. The second case involves discussing the topic of suicide, promoting self-harm, etc. For example, a streamer cannot recommend to viewers his or her diet or the medications he or she takes, as this could be detrimental to their health. The situation is similar with mental health control — only a certified specialist can give advice on such topics. The concept of "self-harm" can also have a less obvious context. A streamer was once blocked for giving his underage viewers advice on finance and investing, even though he was not an expert in this field himself. In other words, with his advice he could cause not physical harm, but financial damage.
The disclosure of other people's personal information can lead to the most dramatic consequences, which is why it is heavily punished on Twitch. For example, it is forbidden for a streamer to disclose another streamer's phone number, address, or personal data, as they can become a target of harassment. Famous content creators have many fans, but some of them are particularly intrusive and often overstep personal boundaries (especially popular streamers suffer from this). Publishing personal information encourages horrible pranks. For example, a viewer once called the police to say that shouting and gunfire were allegedly heard in the house where his favorite streamer lived. A SWAT team went to the address and broke into the streamer's house right as he was broadcasting. Once a similar incident ended in the death of a gamer — he was accidentally shot, mistaken for a criminal.
Copyright violation often leads to the channel being banned on the platform. For example, a streamer cannot broadcast someone else's music unless he or she has permission from the copyright holder. The same applies to movies, TV shows, and sometimes games (for example, during a closed beta test). In some cases, artists allow content creators to use their content, and it also happens that a streamer gets banned even for performing a cover of a popular song. Usually such violations are recorded automatically, thus mishaps are not uncommon. Once a famous streamer got a ban because during the broadcast he got a call on his phone, and the ringtone had a famous music track on it.
Now, the rules for streamers have been simplified, and Twitch itself can automatically cut a segment of the audio track that violated copyrights. Usually, the streamers only get a warning, but a malicious violation can lead to a long-term blocking.
Off-platform misbehavior can also lead to the channel being blocked. Twitch administrators have a policy that if a streamer is in trouble with the law in real life, he is unlikely to follow the rules of the platform either. This usually involves very serious violations, such as inciting armed extremism, calling for violence, threatening physical harm to Twitch employees or executives, distributing malicious information, etc.
Famous Banned Twitch Streamers
In 2016, the famous streamer James 'Phantoml0rd' Varga received a permanent ban on Twitch. The administration of the service accused him of fraud, as Varga allegedly promoted a CS:GO skin roulette site, where the winning chances were artificially manipulated. Varga sued the service for several years and even won the case against Twitch, receiving monetary compensation, but his channel has remained banned.
In June 2020, DrDisRespect, one of the most charismatic and famous streamers on Twitch, unexpectedly received a permanent ban. The administration did not give any specific reasons for the ban, saying only that "the streamer violated the community rules" and that they had evidence to prove it. DrDisRespect himself denied being at fault and tried to get some specifics, but got no answer. In the end, he continued streaming on YouTube, and his dispute with Twitch turned to the judicial arena. In March 2022, DrDisRespect and Twitch announced that they had settled their dispute, with neither side admitting any infractions.
Among the banned twitch streamers is the 45th president of the United States Donald Trump. In January 2021, the administration blocked his channel with 150K subscribers because of the "risk of inciting violence." This happened shortly after the Capitol attack.
The former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate became a life coach and influential blogger with an audience of millions after his wrestling career ended. However, in 2021, his numerous sexist and misogynistic remarks led to a ban on all popular social media and YouTube. After that, Tate allegedly deleted his Twitch channel himself, without waiting for the administration to do so.
The famous American streamer Indiefoxx received numerous suspensions for sexual content on her broadcasts — she regularly hosted live streams in her underwear and wrote her viewers' names on her body for donations. That's not to say no one else was doing it apart from Indiefoxx, but at the time she was one of the platform's top female streamers with 2 million followers on the channel. In June 2021, Indiefoxx was finally given a permanent ban, and the administration had to reconsider the rules about the visual appearance of the streamers in the shot. By the way, Indiefoxx was one of the female streamers whose live streams resulted in the Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches category emergence.
How to avoid getting banned on Twitch?
You'll hardly find any particular method of avoiding a ban on Twitch. The main advice is to carefully study the community rules of the platform. The main reasons for banning channels are described there, but it is almost impossible to list all the cases. Try to find out in advance the algorithm of how to act in case your channel is banned: How to appeal a ban on Twitch correctly? How to contact Twitch moderators? And other similar questions.
It is important to remember that Twitch perceives content creators as a role model for the audience. A streamer's behavior affects viewers, their tastes, preferences, worldviews, desires, etc., so a streamer should set a good example for fans. If the streamer and his content are destructive, dangerous or offensive to any part of the audience, the streamer is more likely to get banned quickly.
If you did get your channel banned on Twitch and you think you didn't deserve it, you can file an appeal at https://appeals.twitch.tv./. You can appeal a suspension no more than once every 30 days. For a permanent ban, the period is once every 6 months. It is important that only the owner of the banned account can file an appeal. At the same time, Twitch administration does not guarantee a review of the measures taken. The response time to an appeal may vary and depends on several factors: your region of residence, moderators' workload, details of the violation, etc. This process usually takes several business days.