Major Shift: X Platform Allows Adult Content

Elon Musk's platform, X, has formally revised its guidelines related to adult content.

According to the guidelines, X wrote that users “should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression.”

“The platform’s move to allow ‘adult content’ dovetails well with the company’s post-Musk marketing strategy,” said Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication at Cornell University. “X is unapologetically provocative and has sought to distinguish itself from ‘brand safe’ competitors.”

“We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualisation or harm to minors, and obscene behaviours. We also do not allow sharing Adult Content in highly visible places such as profile photos or banners,” X’s Adult Content Policy says.

Additionally, X also stated that it prohibits the distribution of adult material in "highly conspicuous" areas like profile pictures or banners.

X describes adult content as “any content that depicts adult nudity or sexual behaviour that is pornographic or sexually stimulating, regardless of having been produced and shared with consent, in the AI, photograph, animation, cartoon, hentai, or anime domain, and by implication, or sexual behavioural intent.

To control the distribution of mature content, X motivates its users to modify their media options to provide images and videos along with a content advisory. Marked as adult content, users under 18 are not allowed to see posts.

According to a Reuters report, the amount of adult content on X has increased over the past few years. Another set of parameters obtained from the analysis presented in the study relates to the percentage of adult content that was found to be present in X in 2022 – 13 percent. However, through this development of X now allowing adult content, there is the question of what could go wrong. Due to the new policies, it is evident that regulatory authorities should be watching more on, X.

“We balance this freedom by restricting exposure to Adult Content for children or adult users who choose not to see it,” X stated.

Twitter used to have no specific policy against adult material prior to Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform and there was no ban on it. X said that the website blocks anything that is considered to be ‘adult content’ to safeguard kids while at the same time, ensuring patrons who do not wish to come across such content do not have to do so.