Kick streamers say moderation is “worse than Twitch” as CEO asks if it’s “too harsh”

Kick’s CEO Eddie Craven is asking streamers for their thoughts on the platform’s moderation with many believing the site has become “worse than Twitch.”

Kick first launched as an alternative to Twitch by allowing gambling streams and more provocative content than other platforms.

For the first few months, the site was ripe with controversy such as Ice Poseidon’s arrest in Thailand and N3on getting involved in a hit-and-run with notorious speed racer Squeeze Benz.

In the time since, the site has cracked down on unacceptable behavior, in large part due to how co-owners such as xQc, put their foot down to ban streamers such as Johnny Somali.

The green platform even implemented new rules against “harmful and exploitative” content by only allowing users to stream from approved gambling sites – something which drew some backlash.

Now, Kick’s CEO is polling the community about its stance on moderation with many claiming the site has become too strict.

Kick's current moderation is

— Eddie (@StakeEddie) December 11, 2024

Kick users slam platform’s moderation as “too harsh”

In a poll on December 11, Eddie Craven began asking Kick users for their thoughts on the site’s moderation.

As of writing, over 49% said the site’s moderation was “too harsh” while 36% said it was “too soft” and under 15% voted “Just right.”

It should be noted that the poll could have been misunderstood and some could have interpreted the “too soft” option as the moderation banning streamers for minor offenses.

The poll was further boosted by fellow staff members who retweeted it or commented, such as Kick co-founder Trainwreck who urged users to “please vote.”

In the comments, many voiced concerns that Kick had become too similar to Twitch with its moderation style and was too quick to ban people.

“Lowkey worse than Twitch,” one remarked.

“You already know the answer to this. It’s just as bad as Twitch now,” echoed another.

Others felt that there needed to be a compromise and the moderation hadn’t become too over the top just yet. One commented, “I speak for most people, we just don’t want Kick to turn into Twitch, let some stuff slide, and try not to be so harsh and strict.”

One user even brought up Rumble, a rising free speech platform that made waves at the end of 2024 by signing Dr Disrespect.

“Kick cannot and will not compete with Twitch and Rumble if there isn’t free speech. Twitch has the creators and Rumble has free speech, Kick currently has neither which is exactly why it won’t survive,” they claimed.

We’ll have to see if the results of this poll impact Kick’s future, but with so many staff members posting about it, there’s a chance we see some moderation updates in 2025.