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Elon Musk’s X now officially allows pornographic content on its platform, but says it will block adult and violent posts from users who are under 18 or who have not opted in to view it.
The company announced new policies on Monday that formalize what can be seen on the platform.
They come as regulatory pressure mounts on platforms around the world to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content on social media.
Historical x, formerly Twitter, did not prevent people from posting adult content on the platform. Sex workers who use subscription services like OnlyFans have used X to promote their work for years.
Users who post adult content, including nudity and implied or explicit sexual acts, have already been asked by H to adjust their media settings so that their images and videos are placed behind a content warning before they can be viewed. Users under the age of 18 or those who have not provided a date of birth on their profile will not be able to view this content.
X indicated that it will detect what users post, stating that if users do not flag pornographic posts appropriately, then “we will adjust your account settings for you.”
Similar rules have been introduced for violent content including violent speech or media, including that which threatens, incites, glorifies or expresses a desire for violence or injury.
Teens report seeing more pornographic material on X than on adult sites. Research by the UK Children’s Commissioner in January 2023 found that 41% of teenagers aged between 16 and 18 reported having seen pornography on X, compared to 37% for dedicated adult sites.
Last week, Australian online safety regulator Julie Inman Grant, claim that Apple and Google have financial motives for keeping both X and Reddit on their app stores despite hosting adult content — which she claims is in violation of both app stores’ policies.
“There is currently a huge disincentive for app stores to follow their own [policies],” she said.
“They collect a 30% tithe from every transaction that happens on a social media site…Think of the force multiplier of deplatforming an app and what that would mean for their revenue.”
According to Apple’s developer guidelines, apps with user-generated content that is primarily pornographic may be removed, but apps with user-generated adult content hidden by default may still be displayed. X’s new policy will keep it in line with Apple’s guidelines.
X is also embroiled in a legal battle against the Australian eSafety Commissioner over violent content – 65 tweets of a video of the Sydney bishop stabbing attack in April, which eSafety ordered X to remove. The case will be heard in federal court at the end of June.
X has made the tweets unavailable to users accessing the site in Australia, but eSafety has argued in recent lawsuits that X must also prevent Australian users from accessing the tweets via a virtual private network connection.
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