If you are into gaming, you would surely have heard the name of Twitch, an American video games streaming platform that has gained popularity every day. Its growth doesn’t show any signs of stopping. It has a big potential for marketing and earning money as well. Let us discuss how old do you have to be to stream on twitch.
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What happens on Twitch?
Twitch is a video game streaming platform. It has diversified by a live streaming variety of content. A gamer’s paradise, this platform facilitates a gamer with all features that makes game streaming easy and fun. Also, it provides the best game viewing experience for viewers, because this platform hosts quality content, game from multiple angles, squad streaming, esports, professional sports streaming, and a lot more at once.
Right now, how old do you have to be to stream on Twitch?
Currently, as per the terms and conditions of Twitch, they don’t allow anyone to use Twitch who is below 13 years of age. Even if the user is above 13 years of age, if it is below 18 years, Twitch allows usage only with parental/guardian supervision.
Twitch often suspends accounts of users who look younger than 13. So, one shouldn’t consider that a profile with low user viewership might get unnoticed. They are quite active in reporting and suspending accounts for an undecided amount of time if a profile has some irregularities. So, it is necessary to let others know how old do you have to be to stream on Twitch.
Why does one have to be 13 years old to start streaming?
Even though gaming knows no bar, the younger generation has more presence on Twitch due to the nature of the platform. 41% of users on Twitch have ages between 16-24 years, and these users have their Twitch account. Adult themes are frequent due to the nature of a game and people coming from different backgrounds. Even though Twitch is a highly regulated platform, it can still give exposure to adult language, video game violence, and unregulated trade of banned items through chats. That’s why parent permission is must require because it leaves it on their judgment of what kind of content should their child consume until they turn 18.
Children are at the highest risk of online bullying and privacy breach, and that’s why kids under 13 are not allowed under any circumstance to be a user of Twitch. It tries everything in its control to keep inappropriate content in check. But, it is a live streaming platform due to which everything cannot be moderated. Children are prone to unknowingly watch mature content. Had it been something static uploaded on the internet, it would have been easier to regulate it.
Does Twitch provide parental control?
After knowing how old do you have to be to stream on Twitch, learning about parent/ guardian supervision tools also becomes necessary.
Even though Twitch doesn’t provide any special parental controls per se, it still prohibits those who are under 13 years of age from joining their platform.
Parents still have many options by which they can check or observe the presence of their kids on Twitch. You can enable the PIN function, which is a secondary password. Don’t let your child know this password. It will allow a parent to make changes regarding privacy on the account. A parent can disable messages, whispers, and all such things from strangers. With a whisper, one can have a live chat with a user who is separate from the global chat.
What are the things parents must know?
There are a lot of ways by which Twitch streamers and influencers earn. One of them is through emojis. The more money a viewer donates, the more they receive emojis. This system is designed in a way that viewers become tempted to donate more and more, which is where parent supervision becomes extremely necessary.
Parents should not make their credit card and payment details accessible to children. However, you can encourage children to support their favorite streamer with their pocket money. This teaches them monetary discipline and at the same time, giving people the due amount for their service.
Content creators who are streaming their content for free also have an equal right to receive remuneration. But, they can ensure that the payments they receive are given responsibly to them. This way, the creative industry will also get its credit. If they buy twitch followers, they can give a boost to their profile as well.
Twitch is a platform that adds a fun element to a person from any part of the world and with any age number. But, children are innocent and that’s why there is an age limit on them joining Twitch.