Twitch revealed a lot of new initiatives and features today that are being rolled out over the next several months, but some of the policy changes that are going to be implemented soon left viewers scratching their heads.
The terms simp, virgin, and incel will all be banned under the context of being used as insults, according to Twitch’s COO Sara Clemens.
This will apply to both streamers and users in their chats who decide to use any of those terms. Twitch will also be cracking down on emotes that include these terms, removing them and ensuring that no new examples pop up once the terms of service changes go into effect.
“Using terms like simp, incel, or virgin to refer as an insult to negatively refer to another person’s sexual activity is not allowed under this new policy,” Clemens said. “In addition to the new policy change, we are actively denying emotes that include the term simp and will remove them when reported.”
More details about the specifics surrounding these terms and others being officially banned from use on Twitch’s platform and how the company will enforce this will be shared as the policy changes are made official and published for everyone to view.
All of this was talked about in today’s Twitch Town Hall broadcast, where higher-ups at the company talked to viewers about new features and changes that are coming to the platform. This included details about new VOD management features, an update on DMCA policies and how streamers should approach using music, and more.
Update Dec. 22 8:30pm CT: After the Town Hall, Twitch released a statement further clarifying the situation revolving the terms.
“We will take action against the use of terms like ‘simp,’ incel,’ or ‘virgin’ specifically when they are being used to negatively refer to another person’s sexual practice,” Twitch said. “Using these terms on their own wouldn’t lead to an enforcement but we would take action if they were used repeatedly in a harassing manner.”
Twitch went on to say that emotes related to these terms have and will continue being denied and taken down when they are reported in an effort yo “minimize the potential for harm.”
