Kick has rolled out a major update to its community guidelines that targets self-harm broadcasts and dangerous on-stream behavior and prank content. The changes come after a string of controversial incidents on the platform, including the death of French streamer Jean Pormanove, who died during a broadcast that involved what was described as “ten days and nights of torture.”
Kick has always marketed itself as the less restricted alternative to Twitch but that reputation came with problems. In the early days bans were rare and permanent ones were almost unheard of. It took major creators like xQc publicly calling for stricter moderation before Kick started taking it seriously and even then controversial streams kept happening.
The New Rules Go After Self-Harm Content, And Dangerous Stunts
Kick announced the updated guidelines on March 22, and the language in them is much more direct than anything the platform has put out before. On self-harm, the new rules state that content which “promotes, encourages, or instructs acts that pose a serious risk to personal safety” is no longer allowed. That includes broadcasts involving substance abuse and eating disorders, and any situation where a creator is putting themselves in danger of serious injury or death.
Prank streams and dangerous driving are also being targeted now. Kick says creators “must avoid actions that cause significant public disruption or panic” and that pranks designed to scare people or cause emergency services to get involved are not permitted. Public streams in sensitive areas also have to follow local laws, and creators cannot harass or exploit people who did not agree to be on camera.
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Reckless driving and dangerous use of machinery were also called out specifically, and Kick says neither will be tolerated if bystanders are being put at risk.
Kick Has Also Banned Unlabeled AI Content And Unsupervised Interactions With Minors On Stream
Kick is also now requiring that any realistic AI-generated videos be clearly labeled. Deepfake content and anything that could mislead viewers about real events has been outright banned. This is a rule that Twitch also has, but Kick had not formally addressed until now.
There are new rules around minors, too. Creators are no longer allowed to have unsupervised interactions with minors on stream, and any minor who does appear on a broadcast has to be with a parent or legal guardian who knows they are being streamed.
All of this is happening not long after Kick CEO Eddie Craven confirmed that ads are coming to the platform. Kick has been running without traditional advertising for most of its existence, but bringing in advertisers means the platform needs brand-safe content, and that does not work when creators are doing dangerous stunts or broadcasting self-harm on stream.
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These guideline changes look a lot like the first step toward making Kick advertiser-friendly, and the timing of it right after the ad announcement makes that connection hard to miss.
