“Pathostreaming” — live online broadcasts of vulgar, shocking or brutal behavior — has become a major concern in Poland, with children making up a significant share of the audience and creators profiting from viewers’ donations.
Under the model, viewers send voluntary payments and streamers carry out promised acts, including fighting or other degrading behavior. Such broadcasts appear on platforms including Twitch, YouTube and Kick.
According to a consumer survey by Poland’s Office of Electronic Communications conducted in September last year among people aged 7 to 17, 27.8% of children and teenagers said they had watched pathostreams. The biggest share of viewers was among children aged 10-12, at 34.1%, followed by those aged 7-9, at 30.6%.
The survey found that 34.5% of minors had paid at least once for access to such content. A 2019 report by the Empowering Children Foundation and the human rights ombudsman found that three-quarters of viewers watched out of curiosity.
The phenomenon gained traction in Poland in 2017, though some streamers had begun earlier. Among the best known was Daniel “Magical”, whose content evolved from gaming into broadcasts featuring heavy drinking and family rows. Before his YouTube account was blocked, his streams reportedly drew up to 63,000 concurrent viewers.
Other cases involved streamer “Gural”, convicted in 2019 over an attempt to distribute the image of a naked 12-year-old girl, and “Rafatus”, who promoted heavy drinking and beat his partner during live broadcasts. Łukasz W., known as “Kamerzysta”, was accused of psychologically abusing an intellectually disabled 18-year-old, though a court in Szczecin acquitted him in a non-final ruling in December last year.
Some pathostreamers have also appeared at so-called freak-fight galas. Among the organizers is Fame MMA, founded in 2018, whose events have included figures such as “Magical” and “Rafonix”. According to sports website meczyki.pl, one anniversary gala may have generated PLN 20 million to PLN 30 million (EUR 4.7 – 7.1 million) in revenue.
The problem is not limited to Poland. Comparable cases abroad are often described as “trashstreaming”. In France, streamer Jean Pormanove died during a live broadcast on Kick in August last year after what was described as a 12-day stream involving violence and sleep deprivation. Earlier cases in Russia also involved deaths during live broadcasts.
Efforts to curb the practice in Poland began in 2018, but legislation has lagged. The first bill to criminalize pathostreaming was submitted only in 2023 and was never completed. Since then, additional bills from main Polish parties have been sent to parliament, proposing prison terms for publishing such content online.
Despite repeated warnings from official reports, no law has yet been passed.
(jh)
Source: PAP