The social media platform X says it should now formally allow people to point out consensual adult content, so long as it’s clearly labeled as such. The move makes official a policy already in place when the platform was often known as Twitter, before billionaire Elon Musk purchased it in 2022.
In a recent update on its website, the San Francisco-based company said users “should give you the chance to create, distribute, and devour material related to sexual themes so long as it’s consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression, whether visual or written, could be a legitimate type of artistic expression.”
Adult material was allowed under the pre-Musk Twitter as well, although there was no official policy in place. X said it’s restricting adult content for youngsters and for adult users who select to not see it.
The move makes official a policy already in place when the platform was often known as Twitter, before Elon Musk purchased it in 2022. AP
“We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors,” X said. It added that it doesn’t allow sharing adult content in “highly visible” places corresponding to users’ profile photos or banners.
X’s policy stands in contrast to other social media platforms, corresponding to Meta’s properties — Instagram and Facebook — in addition to TikTok and Google’s YouTube.
“The platform’s move to permit ‘adult content’ dovetails well with the corporate’s post-Musk marketing strategy,” said Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication at Cornell University. “X is unapologetically provocative and has sought to differentiate itself from ‘brand protected’ competitors.”
The corporate appears to be courting people, including creators and artists, who’ve been marginalized by other social media platforms which have guidelines restricting nudity or sexual expression, she added.
X’s policy stands in contrast to other social media platforms, corresponding to Meta’s properties — Instagram and Facebook — in addition to TikTok and Google’s YouTube. X owner Musk, above REUTERS
The policy applies to real in addition to artificial-intelligence-generated material.
X is asking users who repeatedly post adult content to adjust their media settings to position all their images and videos behind a content warning. This requires users to acknowledge that they wish to see the posted image before they’ll view it.
