By Shane Mead | Reporter
Streaming platforms for content creators have COVID-19 to thank for their record-high usage in mid-2021. But, what may have come as a surprise was for that usage to only slightly falter since. We’ve watched streamers blossom from internet celebrities to household names in less time than it takes to earn an undergraduate degree.
As parents struggle to navigate the plethora of mediums their children have access to, I believe the danger lies in the mind-numbing and aimless content many call “streaming.”
Though there’s no denying these streamers are entertaining — they have millions of viewers for a reason — their qualities are what scare me. Those with a platform have a responsibility that comes with it. Acting as role models for their young, impressionable fanbases is one of them. Instead streamers, with some of the largest followings, are riddled with hatefulness, erratic behavior, toxic masculinity and misogyny.
According to Pew Research, 33% of teens aged 13-17 watch videos on Twitch, the largest streaming platform. Twitch claims to have an age restriction of 13 and up. However, there is no identity verification process when creating an account and children can lie about their age. We can pretty safely assume there are children under the age of 13 that are using Twitch despite their supposed age restriction.
Kick, another large streaming platform, is exactly the same with no age verification. However, statistics are unavailable because of its newness.
That’s a whole lot of kids watching popular streamers like Adin Ross, IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat. Unfortunately, these guys act quite oppositely of the role models they should be.
In 2022, IShowSpeed thought it was a good idea to light fireworks off in his house. The situation was so chaotic and the smoke so overbearing it caused an evacuation of his house and the appearance of the fire department. All of this was captured live.
But what IShowSpeed is known for are his microaggressions and trolling behavior when he’s playing video games or just talking to people. There’s been multiple instances of him cursing out children online while playing video games. He’s also been banned from YouTube for violating their guidelines. In one livestream, he and a woman were given the hypothetical question if they would procreate given they were the last two people on Earth. His response: “Who’s gonna stop me?” His behavior probably received laughs from his young and immature audiences, but I fear they may attempt to emulate their favorite content creator.
Adin Ross has a long history of streaming and plenty of run-ins with multiple platforms. He was banned from Twitch, migrated over to Kick and has violated YouTube guidelines multiple times. Similarly to IShowSpeed, Adin has actively partaken in bullying and consistently hosts guests who lash out and use disturbing language.
One of his guests, Andrew Tate, appeared in Adin’s livestreams multiple times. Andrew Tate is an entirely different rabbit hole. Simply put, he preaches very dangerous ideologies that are being displayed to young audiences, which is alarming in its own right.
Adin also promotes gambling on his streams, often gambling money that isn’t his and was given by betting sites to use during his streams. With young audiences watching, it’s highly dangerous to promote something with serious addictive qualities.
Kai Cenat, you would have guessed, is another popular streamer who constantly uses harmful language and partakes in bullying. He’s in a group, Any Means Possible (AMP), full of other smaller streamers who promote the same harmful speech. The group is also known for its exotic pranks such as lighting objects on fire indoors, and the members also fight and bicker pretty often.
Kai coined the term “rizz,” which has roots in treating women as something to be attained rather than appreciated. He also has made sexual remarks objectifying women which has completely damaged young men’s view on relationships and women as a whole. His dismissive behavior toward women and lack of empathy is quite disturbing and certainly won’t help America’s decline in marriage rates. If he continues priming teen boys with this sort of misogynistic behavior, I don’t see how they’ll find love.
In February 2023, Kai Cenat held a giveaway in New York City that shut down streets, unbeknownst to the city. Attendees grew restless and began infiltrating construction sites and hopping on cars — still or moving. People’s personal property, as well as city property, were damaged. A handful of attendees were arrested, as well as Kai Cenat himself. It was unorganized and chaotic, and an example of how these guys truly have no idea the platform and power they have.
The era of streaming is alive and well, showing no signs of stopping. All we can do is hope our youth takes what these streamers do with a grain of salt. The example they set is ridiculous and not what our future generations need.
