Twitter/X announces they are officially allowing adult content

Twitter/X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, has officially updated its policies to allow adult content, including pornographic and sexually explicit material. This significant change in policy was announced on June 3, 2024, and marks a shift in the platform’s approach to adult content, which it now refers to as “Adult Content.”

According to the updated policy, users are allowed to share “consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior,” provided it is properly labeled and not prominently displayed. This includes both real and AI-generated content, such as cartoons, hentai, or anime, as well as explicit or implied sexual behavior. Examples of this content include full or partial nudity and explicit or implied sexual acts.

The platform encourages users who regularly post adult content to adjust their media settings to place all their images and videos behind a content warning, which requires users’ consent to view the media in the post. This setting can be found under “Privacy and safety > Your posts.” Additionally, users can add a one-time content warning to individual posts.

The policy also states that users under 18 or those who do not have a birth date attached to their account cannot view media flagged with a content warning. If a user continuously doesn’t flag adult content in their posts, the platform will simply alter your account settings and mark it for them.

This move by Twitter/X is notable as it makes the platform one of the few mainstream social media networks to allow adult content, a policy that was unofficially in place before Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company in October 2022. The platform believes in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality. However, it balances this freedom by restricting exposure to adult content for children or adult users who choose not to see it.