Elon Musk's X Introduces New Opt-In Porn Policy To Shield Minors from Adult Content

In a significant policy overhaul, X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken a bold step to protect underage users from adult content. This move comes amid growing concerns over the safety of minors online and increasing scrutiny from regulators worldwide.

What Happened: Elon Musk-owned X has revamped its content policy to introduce an opt-in mechanism for adult content, aiming to prevent users under 18 from accessing it, The Guardian reported on Monday.

The social media giant’s decision follows increasing global regulatory pressure to safeguard children from inappropriate material online. X’s new guidelines now require users to mark adult content with a content warning, and those who fail to comply will have their settings adjusted by the company.

Historically, X has not restricted the posting of adult content, which has been used by sex workers and others to promote services like OnlyFans. However, the new rules also extend to violent content, demanding similar content warnings.

Recent research highlighted the prevalence of pornographic material on X among teenagers, prompting further scrutiny. Last week, Australia’s online safety regulator criticized Apple and Google for not adhering to their app store policies regarding adult content, suggesting financial incentives were at play.

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Why It Matters: The policy shift at X can be traced back to a series of events that raised public and regulatory concerns about the platform’s content. There was an alarming increase in pornographic content on X, which coincided with a reduction in content moderation under the ownership of Musk. Users reported discomfort due to the sheer volume of explicit material.

Following the backlash, Musk announced a “major purge” to address the issue.

Further indicating a more proactive stance, Musk hinted at an algorithm update to tackle clickbait and irrelevant content. Users had expressed concerns over bots and misleading content, urging for a cleaner, more relevant user experience.

X’s policy change aligns with Apple’s developer guidelines, which allow apps with hidden user-generated adult content. Meanwhile, X is also engaged in a legal dispute in Australia over violent content, with a court case pending for the end of June.

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Image via Shutterstock

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari