Elon Musk‘s X now officially allows NSFW content on the social network formerly known as Twitter — with some restrictions.
In a recent update to its official usage policies, X says, “You may share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior, provided it’s properly labeled and not prominently displayed.”
“We believe that users should be able to create, distribute and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed,” X says in the update, which was spotted earlier by TechCrunch. “Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality.”
That said, according to X’s Adult Content Policy, “We balance this freedom by restricting exposure to Adult Content for children or adult users who choose not to see it. We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors. We also do not allow sharing Adult Content in highly visible places such as profile photos or banners.”
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The move by X to formally allow adult content “dovetails well with the company’s post-Musk marketing strategy,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication at Cornell University. “X is unapologetically provocative and has sought to distinguish itself from ‘brand-safe’ competitors” like meta, YouTube and TikTok. With X’s recent policy update, she says, “the company seems to be courting those workers — including creators and artists — who have been marginalized by platform guidelines that tend to restrict nudity or sexual expression.”
To be sure, Twitter already allowed porn before Musk’s takeover. The company estimated 13% of all posts on the platform contained adult content, Reuters reported in October 2022 just prior to the official close of Musk’s debt-laden deal for Twitter.
X defines “adult content” as any “consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or sexual behavior that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal.” The definition also applies to AI-generated, photographic or animated content such as cartoons, hentai or anime. Examples include depictions of “full or partial nudity, including closeups of genitals, buttocks or breasts” and “explicit or implied sexual behavior or simulated acts such as sexual intercourse and other sexual acts,” according to X.
X is encouraging users who regularly post adult content on the platform to adjust their media settings that will place “all your images and videos behind a content warning that needs to be acknowledged before your media can be viewed.” (The setting is under “Privacy and safety > Your posts,” where you can enable the option that says “Mark media you post as containing material that may be sensitive.”) Users also can also add a one-time content warning on individual posts. X users under 18 (or those who do not include a birth date on their profile) cannot click to view posts that are marked for adult content.
“If you continue to fail marking your posts, we will adjust your account settings for you,” X says in the policy update. X users can report unmarked adult content or other violations using the app’s reporting features; the company added that users may appeal a decision “If you believe we made a mistake.”
