Age verification on Twitch: Everything you need to know

The Amazon-owned livestreaming platform, Twitch, has now gone the age verification route, following reports that indicate local laws now require platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to roll out age verification for users. On September 15, the livestreaming platform released an article on "age verification," which described new measures.

A notable excerpt from the article's opening reads:

"To comply with local laws, Twitch has minimum age requirements that vary by region. When you sign up, you need to provide your birth date. If you don't meet the minimum age for your region, you won't be able to create an account... In some regions, we use on-device facial age estimation technology to verify your age."

Now, both existing and new users in certain regions will need to verify their age using "on-device facial age estimation technology." This essentially involves a "face scan" through which the platform determines whether a user is of age.

The official age requirement to use Twitch is 13 years old, but users between 13 and the age of legal majority, which varies by jurisdiction, must have parental supervision.

Overall, if a user or creator is verified to be above the legal age, they should be able to continue viewing or streaming on the platform.

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Looking at some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Twitch's age verification policy

The platform will utilize "k-ID," a Singapore-based software company founded in 2023, which develops "age assurance" and compliance tools to help websites monitor their user base.

In terms of why age verification is required in the first place, the platform notes:

"Age verification helps ensure that users meet the minimum age required... and also helps make sure that certain types of content are only seen by people who meet the age requirements for their region."

If the software potentially produces a verification error, users can contact k-ID Support.

According to the article, facial scans are "not stored or shared," and exist only to confirm a user's age.

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In other news, a Twitch moderator allegedly threatened to take his own life after Marlon banned him, calling Marlon "an evil man."

Edited by Vishnu Menon