Staying safe while streaming

Before you start streaming, there are a few things you need to cover:

• Streamers should be 18 years old or over – if you’re under 18 ask a parent or guardian to email us at community&[email protected] so we can help.
• Privacy – think about where you will livestream – is there anything in the background that you don’t want others to see? Make sure any personal or identifying information is out of shot. Make sure to check the community guidelines for the site you're streaming on. We've included links to the guidelines for Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Gaming.
• Promoting your livestream – it’s likely you’ll want to raise awareness of your stream so that you can raise funds. Decide whether you will share details publicly on an unlocked social media account, or just with friends and people you know in person. By sharing information publicly, anyone could view the livestream.
• Get to know your platform – make sure to familiarise yourself with your chosen platform’s features and settings.

• Comment moderation – if you don’t already have regular moderators it’s worth asking a friend to watch the comments on the livestream and moderate for you, so that you can focus on your fundraising activity. They could do this remotely or be with you in-person so that you can debrief or celebrate together after your event.
• Blocking and reporting – before you livestream, take time to familiarise yourself with the blocking and reporting functions of the platform. It’s a good idea to read the community guidelines to make sure you know what counts as inappropriate behaviour and how to report it.
• House rules – consider including some house rules for people watching the livestream. If your stream isn’t going to be PG (whether because of your language, game or other content choices) please make sure this is labelled appropriately on whatever platform you’re using. If you plan to broadcast yourself playing a game, make sure you share the PEGI age rating. Likewise if you're organising a film night, make sure you share the age rating. We’ve put some more suggested house rules in the tab below if you need a place to start.
• Take regular breaks – throw up a BRB card and nip to the bathroom or get chat to donate for a song choice and have a dance break.
• This is a sprint, not a marathon – streams of all lengths make a difference, so try to only stream for a few hours at a time or break longer streams down into shifts with friends.
• Stay hydrated – we probably don’t need to expand on this one. H20 = Good.
• If you're feeling unwell, stop the stream – don’t be a hero.*
• Keep it safe, keep it legal, and stick to your platform’s community guidelines.

*You fundraising hero.

If you’re not sure where to start with house rules, we’ve put some ideas below:

• Be kind
• Respect others
• Include everyone
• Listen to moderators
• Don't spam
• No bullying, sexism, racism, homophobia or hate-based chat
• No spoilers for the game
• No advertising or self-promotion
• No joking about mental health or suicide

• Video privacy – while livestreaming takes place in real-time, it is often possible to view the video after the event. If you do not want your recording to be publicly available, make sure you use privacy settings to limit the audience.
• Gaming disorder – though uncommon, gaming disorder is a recognised medical issue by The World Health Organisation. If you find yourself feeling compelled to keep gaming over other activities, or if gaming is negatively impacting on your wellbeing, please seek support here.
• Emotional support - if you were affected by anything on your stream or in chat and need emotional support you can find the different ways to contact Samaritans here.