A Twitch streamer best known for his IRL and gaming content, Jon Zherka has amassed a large following since beginning his channel in 2019. On March 20, 2021, Zherka was banned from the platform for initially unknown reasons, though the streamer revealed a month later that he had been prohibited from streaming after viewing a photo of a girl in a bikini for “too long.”

When he learned the reason for the ban, Zherka expressed frustration, pointing out that girls “literally blow up swimming pools in their living rooms and pose sexually… for millions of dollars on Twitch.” This comment was in reference to the ongoing controversy around a seeming double standard with Twitch allowing hot tub streams while punishing other kinds of sexualized content.

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The situation wasn’t helped when Twitch streamer Amouranth, who had been banned for licking the microphone during an ASMR stream, was permitted back on the platform after three days. In response, after three months of being off the platform, Zherka tweeted, “How am I still banned?” Four days after pointing out this perceived hypocrisy, the Twitch streamer has been allowed back on the platform.

The Twitch ban did not remove Zherka from social media, as the content creator has followings on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. However, he said it did have a negative impact on his mental health. Before the incident with the bikini photo, the streamer had gone for nearly two years without a ban, and the sudden shift from streaming long hours and interacting with viewers to inactivity and silence proved difficult. “Going from 15 hour days with my chat to being alone at the bottom of my mental health is actually the deepest low I’ve ever felt,” Zherka said in a Twitter post.

Twitch’s content policies have long been a subject of debate and confusion for viewers and streamers alike. Sexualized content is not permitted on the platform, yet there are content creators who pole dance, body paint, and wear bikinis in kiddie pools. At the same time, nude figure drawing or painting has led to artists being banned, and some streamers are expelled from the platform for viewing a photo of a woman in a bikini. The inconsistency with which Twitch seems to enforce its policies on sexual content has led streamers like Pokimane to worry that brands may pull their ads from the site.

This ambiguity extends to some streamers being removed from the platform with no reason ever being revealed, such as Dr. Disrespect’s ban from Twitch a year ago. The content creator has stated he was never clearly informed why he was banned, and Twitch has essentially remained silent on the subject.

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Source: Dexerto