TW: coercion, child pornography, sexual misconduct, exploitation
Kick started as this bright new star on the streaming horizon early last year, promising all sorts of freedoms and incentives from the get-go. To counter the strict regulations imposed on creators by the most commonly used platform, Twitch, the pitch was simple: “Come over here if you’re tired of the tight leash elsewhere.” Sounds good, right? They also sweetened the deal with attractive commission structures and high-profile collaborations to motivate more Twitch users to jump ship.
But here’s the catch: sometimes those most bothered by regulations are the ones with the strongest tendencies toward unethical behavior, and that’s exactly what is happening over at Kick.
Ice Poseidon and Adin Ross already stirred the pot big time, with Ice allegedly hiring an escort for a live stream and Adin faking an interview with Kim Jong Un. This stuff has kicked up a storm about what’s actually “chill” for streaming content, sparking a big convo on needing tighter rules to keep things from going off the rails.
But we’re not talking about subjective debates on content sensitivity here, or judgment calls around how a creator chooses to spend their time, etc. Right now, we are talking about serious breaches of conduct that deeply harm young lives.
Just this past week, video calls where underage girls were coerced into exposing themselves to a live-streamed audience without their knowledge (while employees at Kick were allegedly present in the stream chat) have us questioning everything this new platform and its partners stand for.
Strap in, because this one’s a doozy.
Riotlol and Citrus, two streamers gaining popularity on Kick, have carved out a niche for themselves by broadcasting live chats with random strangers via the video-calling service Omegle. The content plan is simple: they go live, share their screen as they encounter various women in video chats, and then push the envelope to see how far they can persuade these women—some alarmingly young, as tender as 15 years old—into disrobing. There is of course a live chat going on during this as well, where other users egg the men on in their quest to expose young women without their knowledge.
To make it even worse, when the girls disclosed their age as minors, the streamer would claim a technical mishap until they restated their age as 18. And to make it even worse again—screen recordings and still images taken from conversations between these girls and the streamers have been shared elsewhere online, to Discord channels, Twitter feeds, and more.
One victim’s ordeal, spotlighted by a viewer of Citrus’ streams, went viral on Twitter and left her deeply traumatized. She was unknowingly exploited and exposed by a predator. Imagine the implications of doing something like this face-to-face; it’s essentially tricking someone while they’re on the unsuspecting side of a two-way mirror. Engaging in this type of activity with individuals who have clearly stated they are under 18 squarely falls under the definition of child pornography by federal law.
In what world is this not the case just because it happens over the internet?!
Just because Kick is the new “bad boy” of the streaming world doesn’t exempt it from having rules. There are community guidelines on both Kick and Omegle that explicitly forbid engaging in, promoting, or distributing sexual content involving minors. These are supposed to be the guardrails on the chaos that keep everyone (especially minors) safe while using these platforms, but we’re seeing users blatantly ignoring all guidelines and causing psychological harm firsthand.
So, Kick, we’re kindly asking you directly: what the actual f%&! is going on?!
Your rules (some being federal law) are being stomped on, and it’s not just making you look bad; it’s putting people at risk. It’s time for a reality check, and we sincerely hope that these men and any of your staff who were present while these crimes were committed are held accountable in a court of law to the same extent that any other convicted sex predator would be. BTW—here’s an excerpt taken directly from your own community guidelines page in case you forgot:
“No Streaming of Minors: Creators must not intentionally stream images or content featuring users under 18, including respecting the privacy and safety of minors in any content shared.
No Sharing Content Involving Minors from External Sites: Do not share images or conversations involving users under 18 from external sites like Omegle or similar platforms.
Zero Tolerance for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)”
xoxo,
The Unmuted Team
Author’s Note:
We want to give a huge shout of appreciation to SomethingAboutChickens for shedding light on this situation at a time when no one is talking about it and highly recommend reviewing his full account of the story in more detail. By taking the initiative to directly engage with both the offenders and the victims, he has played a pivotal role in unveiling the harsh reality to those affected and halting the deplorable actions observed among certain Kick streamers. It’s high time for the wider gaming community and beyond to follow suit. The time for tolerance has long passed; action is overdue.
