Exposure of Kids to Age-Inappropriate Content on Twitch: A Comparative Cross-Country Study

The growing presence of children on social media has raised significant concerns regarding their exposure to age-inappropriate content and the potential harms associated with it. While previous research has predominantly focused on platforms like YouTube, limited attention has been given to other widely used platforms among youth. This study addresses this gap by investigating children's exposure to inappropriate content on Twitch—a leading live-streaming platform that blends gaming and social interaction. We employ multiple synthetic user agents (aka personas), representing both underage and adult users from Brazil and the United States, to systematically collect public data via Twitch’s API. Our analysis reveals substantial evidence that underage personas were frequently exposed to inappropriate content, including streams featuring mature-rated games, stream titles containing monetization cues and sexually suggestive emojis, and a high volume of toxic and negative messages in live chats. These findings underscore important weaknesses in current age-protection mechanisms adopted by Twitch and highlight the urgent need for improved safeguards to better protect young users on the platform. Disclaimer: This article includes examples of toxic and potentially distressing content, presented only for the purpose of academic analysis. Readers are advised to proceed with caution. The authors unequivocally disavow the views expressed in such content and include them strictly to support the research objectives.