Official Twitch Chat Rules
Keeping your Twitch stream clean from banned words and following all Twitch guidelines can be very tiresome. Thankfully, you can use already-made templates for Twitch chat rules or even create your own set of rules.
Keep in mind that Twitch promotes the following:
- Be kind
- Respect others
- Include everyone
- Obey the moderation team
Helpful Settings for Twitch Stream Rules
Twitch already has some built-in anti-spam tools that you can find on your Dashboard (click on Preferences and then click on Moderation):
- AutoMod
- Block hyperlinks
- Non-Mod chat delay
- Email verification
- Custom chat rules
Include Moderators
You can appoint one of your viewers to moderate your chat while you are streaming. One way to do so is to type the command “/mod ” (without the quotes) in the general chat, and the user with the username you picked will be the chat moderator.
Adding Bots
If you think Twitch tools don’t work properly for any reason, you can use Twitch chatbots instead.
You could be a seasoned member of the Twitch.tv community or just getting on board the increasingly more popular gaming culture wave.
Still, are you having trouble with misbehaving viewers who use banned words on your stream? Or are you trying to make a good list of Twitch chat rules for your own channel?
You are in the right place! We will be focusing on all the most important aspects of Twitch rules and how you can avoid colliding with their community guidelines on your stream.
Table of Contents
How Do Twitch Chat Rules Impact the Community
If you are looking for advice on how to set up your own Twitch channel rules, examples of good chat rules for Twitch, how to find a chat rules Twitch template, or just how the twitch rules panel works, we have made a list of everything you need to know.
Here are some dos and don’ts which apply to each and every member of the community, including streamers.
Throughout our lives, we have always had to adhere to certain rules, laws, or behavioral codes.
Take for example museums.
We are advised not to touch the exponents so that we do not accidentally damage them.
Twitch.tv chats and streams are no different than those locations except that they do not physically exist.
We have all witnessed a heated argument while browsing our favorite social media platforms and as many of them that are funny, there are some that often get out of hand.
Thankfully, all of the Twitch platform streamers have their own set of rules which are in compliance with Twitch’s own community guidelines.
Good use of Twitch moderator commands is the key to successfully managing your community.
This is the reason why many popular streamers must include moderators in their own chats so that they can manage any, and all breaking of the Twitch chat rules.
As a viewer, you definitely wouldn’t like seeing someone write profanities or even worse, racial slurs, religious discrimination, and similar, in your favorite streamer’s chat.
That would definitely impact your viewing experience and would probably make you want to watch the streamer’s content less.
If you want to prevent this from happening in your very own community, you can find out how to set up moderation on your own streaming account here.
You will find some of the best practices for effectively and efficiently moderating your account.
Official Twitch Chat Rules
We know that Twitch has its own chat rules and they are as follows:
1. Be Kind
This one is pretty simple, there is no reason to argue with anyone who shares a common interest with you, like watching the same streamer.
You wouldn’t want a random stranger just to start typing mean things to you out of nowhere, so you shouldn’t type mean things to others.
Generally, just be a nice human being, it does not take much effort.
2. Respect Others
Would you look at that, another quite simple one?
We are all humans, and we all have feelings.
Streamers, as well as their viewers, do not deserve mistreatment of any kind.
Streamers are working hard to create content that we can enjoy and viewers are there to support the streamer.
Their streams are a place where their fans can gather and enjoy a shared interest, you would not want someone to ruin that experience for you or anyone included, would you?
3. Include Everyone
As we mentioned above, Twitch streams are a place where people from different cultures, age groups, religions, sexual orientations, and similar gather to enjoy a common interest.
The defined Twitch chat rules apply to everyone, there are no exceptions.
If you would not like for people to exclude you from enjoying your streams, make sure you do the same!
4. Obey Moderation Team
This is also quite a simple one.
If a policeman in real life told you to stop behaving a certain type of way, you would listen, correct?
Just apply the same logic to Twitch chat moderators.
They are not going to take action against you if you have not broken any of the defined chat rules, so keep that in mind.
These are the general good Twitch chat rules that apply to every viewer and every stream.
However, each channel’s community can individually define its own guidelines and rules.
Those rules can impact how viewers interact with other viewers and how viewers interact with streamers.
Helpful Settings for Twitch Stream Rules
Here are some of the tools that Twitch offers to users to help them moderate their Twitch stream rules.
To access these tools on your own account, navigate to your Dashboard, click on Preferences and then click on Moderation.
1. AutoMod
AutoMod is a developed automated method of catching potentially unwanted messages in chat so they can be reviewed by a moderator before appearing to other viewers in the chat. You can also use different chat bots for the same purpose.
2. Block Hyperlinks
Enabling this setting will block all links from being posted on your channel.
This way you can prevent any viewers that want to share explicit links or other types of content that would go against the community guidelines.
3. Non-Mod Chat Delay
A short delay can be added to chat messages appearing on your channel.
This gives chat moderators and bots a chance to remove them before viewers can see the message.
4. Email Verification
This option is strongly recommended to reduce the number of bot accounts and troll accounts which greatly reduces spam and harassment.
5. Custom Chat Rules
Including the official Twitch chat rules that we covered, streamers are given the ability to add their own set of rules to customize their own community experience and tailor it to their needs.
If you can’t decide which rules would be good chat rules for Twitch, consider looking at some of your favorite streamer’s rules.
You can use their chat rules template to define your own, I’m sure it would give you some inspiration.
Other chat rules that you might want to think about can include things like not giving away spoilers to games, TV shows, or movies.
Think of it this way, if you were hosting a party at your own home, you would have a defined set of rules that you would want your guests to follow.
Defining your Twitch stream rules is no different.
You wouldn’t like people fighting in your home, breaking your furniture, insulting your other guests, or even insulting you!
So, make sure to think about what you would like your rules to include.
Try to make your rules simple and clear so that the majority of people can understand and follow the defined rules.
Summary
To sum it up, you are going to have to adhere to certain guidelines if you plan on growing your community, but honestly just try to define the rules specific to you and tailor the experience for your own viewers and your community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Twitch chat censored?
Twitch community is home for people of all ages, all religions, and all interests. As you can imagine, this can often lead to arguments between viewers.
Censoring the type of communication that would in any way discriminate against users is forbidden and necessary to keep the community lively and happy!
Are Twitch chat bans permanent?
That really depends on the individual stream guidelines and the moderators behind them. Some bans are permanent and some bans are finite. It all depends on what rule is broken and how the community guidelines punish those actions.
What is not allowed on Twitch?
Any type of sexual harassment, any discrimination against religion, status, and similar as well as threats.
