Twitch has a new strategy for violent and sexual content: Let users choose what they want to see

Twitch has announced yet another change as it figures out the best way to police explicit content. The Amazon-owned platform has announced an update that will let users filter out streams that have been tagged with specific labels.

The content filtering tool is built on top of the Content Classification Guidelines Twitch introduced last year. Those rules require creators to label streams that feature mature-rated games, profanity, gambling, sexual themes, violence, or depictions of drug use. As noted by Engadget when the guidelines were first revealed, streamers who fail to apply the appropriate labels will receive warnings from Twitch.

Once streams have been properly tagged, users can choose which themes they want to exclude from their browsing experiences. The available filters in the Content Display Preferences tabs include screens for all of the categories mentioned in the previous paragraph. For users under the age of 18, most of the filters will be applied automatically.

“Our goal with

these changes is to make it easier for you to have a Twitch experience that’s right for you and to choose the communities that you want to be a part of,” reads a post introducing the filters. “We recognize that everyone’s viewing preferences differ, and you should have more control over what you encounter when you come to Twitch.”

Of all the new filters, the controls for sexually explicit content feel like the most significant updates. Over the past five months, Twitch has struggled to figure out the best way to curb the “topless meta,” a rash of racy streams that trended last December. An attempt to meet that meta with a permissive attitude was rolled back two days after its implementation. In March, Twitch put additional restrictions on sexual content, though creative streamers are still finding ways to bend the rules.

By allowing viewers to filter out explicit content, Twitch has found a simple way to address the topless meta and other edgy trends. Streamers can respond by checking whether their content meets the requirements for Content Classification Labels.