Twitch Introduces Parental Controls to Prevent Teens from Going Live

Twitch is enhancing parental oversight for how kids engage with the platform, including the option to completely block them from streaming. New parental controls allow guardians to connect their accounts with those of their 13- to 17-year-old children, offering tools for account management and a weekly email that summarizes their teen’s activity, such as the channels they watch and the hours spent online.

These controls enable parents to prevent their teens from livestreaming and to disable Whispers, Twitch’s private messaging feature, which stops minors from sending or receiving direct messages. Additionally, parents can set flexible daily time limits for Twitch usage across all devices and restrict access to content labeled with classifications like Gambling, Mature-Rated Game, Sexual Themes, and more, ensuring that such material doesn’t show up in searches or recommendations.

To access the parental controls dashboard, users can navigate to the Account Settings under the Family Center page. Once a user reaches 18, their account will automatically unlink from their parents. Twitch has indicated that it plans to explore further parental control options in the future, emphasizing that these settings are optional for now.