Many minors share their personal details on livestreaming platform Twitch and are at risk of being manipulated and groomed by sexual predators, according to a recent study.
The study sought to understand the “voyeuristic consumption” possible through Twitch and the dangers it poses to minors. It analyzed 100 Twitch streamers with over 1.75 million followers. The study found that many youth streamers gave out personally identifiable information to strangers, providing their names 47 percent of the time and revealing location 50 percent of the time, according to an Oct. 20 press release by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). While 38 percent provided detailed schedules of when they would be live, 64 percent linked their Twitch stream to social media accounts.
“The nature of live streaming makes it particularly dangerous, as there is no way to take back information that has been revealed or regulate content or viewers,” the study warned. The research was presented during an AAP conference on Oct. 22 and is yet to be submitted to a journal.
Even though Twitch requires live streamers to be older than 13 and have valid email addresses or phone numbers to create an account, “there are no age restrictions or identification requirements for viewers, potentially putting minors in danger of being watched, followed, and groomed by predators,” the study said.
During livestream discussions, minor streamers shared personal details 11 percent of the time, including discussing locations they frequently visited and trying out new outfits for viewers.
“Twitch represents a clandestine, threatening digital environment where minors are interacting with adult strangers without parental supervision,” the study said. “Young users clearly feel a false sense of safety on the platform; a significant proportion were willing to reveal personal information despite having no knowledge of who might be listening.”
The study also found that viewers were able to donate money to 37 percent of the minor streamers. It called the donation system “a menacing avenue for manipulation and continued exploitation of minors.”
“The donation system is quite scary to me,” said Fiona Dubrosa, the author of the study and a visiting scholar at Cohen’s Children Medical Center, Northwell Health in Rego Park, N.Y, according to the release.
“The idea that anyone can donate money to streamers of any age seems very manipulative, and I do not think that it is widely known of the disturbing ways this could be utilized. Twitch must create a safer platform.”
The study called for stricter age restrictions for streamers and “more stringent identify verification” of audience members. It advised parents and pediatricians to counsel children on best practices regarding internet safety.
“In line with our youth safety policy, attempts to facilitate inappropriate interactions with youth, including grooming and coercion, are strictly prohibited on our service,” she said. “Kids under the age of 13 aren’t allowed on Twitch, and we suspend all accounts for users who claim or are confirmed to be under the age limit,” she said.
Groomers on Twitch
A Bloomberg report published last year exposed the deep extent to which child predators were prevalent on Twitch. The report detailed an analysis of Twitch conducted by a researcher between October 2020 and August 2022. The researcher remained anonymous due to concerns over potential career repercussions for being associated with the topic.
The research studied Twitch accounts that followed multiple minor livestreams. Bloomberg verified that 1,976 accounts were following several children and detailed various instances of predatory, manipulative behavior on the platform.
In one instance, a 9-year-old girl who streamed on Twitch was approached by a viewer who asked her to “show your butt” to prove she is a girl. The viewer then asked to see her underwear and made several other demands, threatening to leave.
Some viewers were found sending what appeared to be donations to children in an “effort to coerce them into sexual acts,” Bloomberg reported.
Minor streamers were identified as easily giving out their personal information. One child readily revealed she was eight years old and living in Florida.
He pointed out that Twitch viewers consumed 23 billion hours of content on the platform in 2021, with an average user spending 40 hours a month or a full 9-to-5 work week on the platform. Mr. Ghlionn called on parents to “keep an eye” on their children, especially parents of teenagers.
An estimated 89 percent of sexual advances on minors take place through internet chatrooms and instant messaging, it said. In a quarter of reported incidents of exploitation, the predators had asked children for sexually explicit photos.
The organization pointed out that online grooming may be hard to detect as predators instruct minors to remain silent about their online ties. If a child is spending an increasing amount of time online, becoming secretive about their online conduct, or switching or closing tabs or windows when parents are near, it could be signs the child is being groomed, it said.
