WARSAW: Polish President Karol Nawrocki has signed into law new legislation introducing criminal penalties for so-called “trash streaming,” a form of online content that features violent, abusive, or degrading acts performed to attract viewers and generate revenue.
The law, announced Friday by the president’s office, makes it a criminal offense to publish or livestream content for financial or personal gain that depicts serious crimes, animal cruelty, or the humiliation and degrading treatment of another person—even if the individual involved has given consent.
Under the new legislation, offenders can face prison sentences of up to three years, while content involving the commission or staging of more serious criminal acts may carry penalties of up to five years.
The measure targets a phenomenon widely known in Poland as “patostreaming,” a term used to describe livestreams and videos that promote shocking, dangerous, or abusive behavior for online popularity, advertising income, or viewer donations. Authorities have increasingly raised concerns about the harmful influence of such content, particularly on children and young audiences.
Konrad Ciesiolkiewicz, deputy head of Poland’s State Commission for Counteracting Child Sexual Abuse, welcomed the legislation, saying it marks a significant step toward ending the normalization of online abuse for entertainment. He also urged Poland to accelerate the implementation of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which strengthens the responsibility of online platforms to remove illegal content.
The legislation received broad political support after being approved by parliament in June, with backing from both Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing coalition and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The far-right Confederation party opposed the measure, arguing it could restrict freedom of expression and lead to censorship.
The new law is part of Poland’s broader efforts to improve online safety and strengthen protections for children against harmful digital content.
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