X updates its rules to formally allow adult content on the platform

The move formalizes a policy that already existed when the platform was known as Twitter, before Musk bought it in 2022.

X updated its adult content restrictions, introducing additional guidelines that allow users to upload graphic and explicit content on the platform under certain conditions.

Adult material was already allowed when the platform was known as Twitter, before Elon Musk bought it in 2022. The move formalizes that policy and is Musk’s first attempt to regulate that type of publications.

Under the new policy, users of the platform can now post consensually produced NSFW (not safe for work) content as long as it is labeled as an explicit publication. The new rules also cover AI-generated videos and images.

The policy states: “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…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.”

The social network doesn’t allow members under the age of 18 or those who have not entered their birth dates into their profiles to access such posts. Adult content can’t be included in the profile picture or banner. And if users upload this type of posts without properly labeling it, the site will delete it or suspend their accounts.

X will continue to prohibit any content that promotes lack of consent, exploitation, sexualization or harm to minors, objectification and obscene conduct. However, there is no follow-up in the policy explaining how X determines whether adult material is created consensually, which will be important for AI-generated content, says experts.

Last October, Australia fined X for failing to provide details on how it deals with child abuse content, while India notified the app, in addition to YouTube and Telegram, to ensure the elimination of child sexual abuse publications on its services.

According to a Reuters report from 2022, approximately 13% of posts on the platform in 2022 contained adult content.

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