Can You Cuss/Swear On Twitch?


Cussing and swearing is common place on Twitch, in one form or another; whether its the host itself on Twitch chat. In this article, we delve into cussing/swearing on Twitch, what the official word is from Twitch HQ and whether or not you should do it.

Is cussing/swearing allowed on Twitch?

Twitch doesn’t have a lot of guidance on what you can’t do, they instead focus on what you can do to help creators express themselves. Swearing and cussing on your stream is not against either the Twitch community guidelinesOpens in a new tab. or the terms of service.

However, what is not allowed and related to swearing using language which is:

  • Violent or threatening
  • Hateful
  • Harassment
  • Sexual
  • Referencing drugs
  • Referencing sexual acts

So, while technically you can swear you still can’t say words with the effect of the above which ARE usually swear words.

If you do swear, then it is advised to turn on your mature content filter.

Is playing music with cussing allowed on Twitch?

The entirety of your stream counts as content which includes video, audio, chat and anything appearing in your overlay and all of it can include swearing as long as it is within the community guidelines and terms of service. You would also need to adjust the mature content filter to reflect this.

Can you swear in a streamer’s chat?

Swearing or using curse words in a streamer’s chat depends on the streamer’s own chat rules and whether or not they are included in their banned words list. On top of that, the language you use still needs to abide by the community guidelines and terms of service in terms of the messages you’re sending out.

Should you swear on your stream?

We’ve discussed whether you can swear on your stream (you can!) but should you? We think the answer is no or at least not much. On the balance of things, cussing doesn’t really have any advantages but it does have some clear disadvantages in your quest to grow.

Mature content setting

The first, is the need to put a mature content warning on your stream which could potentially cost you views from users between the ages of 13 and 17 and adults who simply want to have a good time and not listen to vulgar and harsh language all of the time.

Having this filter also stops you from appearing in suggested lists of people who may not follow you but would have seen it without the filter.

These types of people can add up to significant numbers, enough to put a dent in your potential reach and therefore earnings.

Sponsorships

Sponsors don’t like to take risks and want to see a return on their investment. Swearing on stream to the point of vulgarity could cost existing sponsors and make potential sponsors think twice.

It’s OK to swear on your Twitch stream but we think swearing over and over again where it starts to become your personality or ‘brand’ is not an advantage to build a healthy revenue stream.

Your community may mimic

A good community is essential to make it big on Twitch, and a lot will harmonise with the host and act accordingly. If you swear on your stream then they will swear in your chat running the risk of it becoming toxic and unwelcoming for new viewers and potential subscribers, donators etc.

How much cussing is too much?

This is a tricky one to answer, the odd word here and there within some context will be fine. You can often see the calmest speed runners throw out a curse word when a run ends early and no one would label it as bad language.

But, there may be others who swear like a sailor non stop with a swear word in every sentence, that is too much.

There is also the consideration to what cuss words you are using in with many people viewing some words to be worse than others. Examples being that “cunt” is often seen as the “worst” swear word whereas “fuck” is an “accepted” one.

Our advice to you is to review your VODs and judge for yourself as well as asking your community for feedback. No one is a finished product and everyone can get better as long as they’re willing to listen and learn.

Swearing/Cussing on Twitch FAQs

Does swearing count as mature content

Yes, it does. If your stream contains cursing regularly then you’d need to turn on the mature content filter to avoid any action from Twitch HQ.

How to allow swearing in chat

Swearing and cussing is allowed by default, it is not something that needs to be turned on.

How to stop swearing in chat

To stop swearing in your chat, start with a deterrent by adding that rules in your about page and have moderators enforcing it, Secondly, turn on auto moderator and fill it in with words you don’t want to appear – lastly for heavier lifting consider a good bot which can have advanced features.

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