New Twitch Feature Introduced to Help Combat Chat Harassment

Highlights

• Streamers can now anonymously warn users with a new tool called Chat Warning to deter rule-breaking behavior.
• The warning is done via the “/warn username” command and users must acknowledge it before rejoining chat.
• Twitch aims to help streamers establish rules and handle first-time offenders with the new Chat Warning system.

On June 5, Twitch introduced a new tool for streamers and their chat moderators to use that allows them to anonymously send a private warning to deter an unruly viewer from breaking a stream’s rules. While most Twitch streamers use an informal three-strike system for dealing with bad behavior, the new warning tool will allow them to deal with some viewers and ask for their acknowledgment before returning to chat.

The news came in the middle of a busy week for the Amazon-owned streaming service. Twitch announced on June 4 that, starting on July 11, the price of Tier 1 subscriptions will increase for viewers in 35 countries, including the US. The monthly rate will go from $4.99 to $5.99 in the US, though other countries will have varying rates. The move follows what was done in March for Twitch users based in Canada and the UK. While the price markup will also give Twitch’s content creators more subscription revenue, the move was met with a negative response from Twitch users. However, Tier 2 and 3 subscriptions will remain at their current rates.

Though Twitch is committed to improving how it deals with banned users, creators now have a new method for handling users before a ban is enforced. According to Twitch’s channel moderation page, a new Chat Warning tool will allow streamers and moderators to manage viewer behavior with discretion. According to Twitch, most streamers use an informal three-strike system of a warning, a timeout, and a ban for dealing with users who continuously break their rules. The Chat Warning is done by entering the chat command “/warn username” or via mod action buttons on chat messages. When a warning is sent to a user, it is done anonymously. The offending user must then acknowledge the warning before returning to the chat. All warnings are also recorded in the mod action feed for streamers and their moderators to keep track.

Twitch Implements New Chat Warning System

• The Chat Warning system allows streamers and their moderators to warn users of a rule violation.
• The warning is sent anonymously with the /warn username command.
• Users who get warned must acknowledge the violation before returning to chat.

Twitch stated the tool is intended to help streamers and their moderators establish their rules and handle first-time offenders before a situation gets out of hand. In August 2023, Twitch added an option that allowed streamers to stop banned users from watching their streams and VODs as a consequence of their actions. With the new Chat Warning tool now live for all Twitch users, some content creators took to social media to thank Twitch for the addition.

Although Twitch remains unprofitable, that has not stopped the Amazon-owned site from its continued efforts to give its creators more tools for handling unruly chat users. What Twitch does in the future to ensure creator safety remains to be seen.