Users have expressed outrage at Elon Musk’s X after the billionaire officially allowed pornography on the platform.
Sexually explicit content has notably existed on the social media site since before Musk took ownership in 2022, but it was not officially permitted until now.
The policy for such content, updated Monday, states that pornography is “a legitimate form of artistic expression,” but the content will be flagged so that users under 18 cannot view it.
But the frustration comes as users said they are now watching more porn since the announcement and expressed concerns that they cannot open the app around young members of their family or at work for fear they will see sexually explicit content.
Elon Musk (pictured) officially allows users to post porn on X and users are outraged to see unwanted content on their feed and are calling for a ban.
Some users called for a ban, saying they don’t want to watch porn on X and that it will cause people to leave the app.
X’s new policy has put some users in a difficult position, with several saying they will leave the platform if the content continues to appear in their feed.
One user went so far as to say he had been exposed to more porn on the site than actual news, while others called for an outright ban and suggested Musk open a separate app where people could view the material.
“If Elon wants porn on X, he should segregate it from the general population for adults to watch, instead of forcing it on everyone,” another user wrote on X.
“I don’t want to watch animal and nature videos with my niece and be on guard in case porn comes on and I have to get out quickly.”
X spokesperson Joe Benarroch told DailyMail.com that users will only see the adult creator’s content if they follow that person’s name.
“It needs to be searched and then followed to appear in your ‘For You’ feed,” Benarroch said.
“In comparison, this is almost identical to how users search for adult content through Google.”
Permitted adult content includes photos, videos, anime and AI-generated material depicting full or partial nudity and “explicit or implied sexual behavior or simulated acts such as sexual intercourse and other sexual acts,” the policy states.
The policy also established restrictions prohibiting child pornography and non-consensual material.
The platform said that if a user does not want to see the content, they should adjust their media settings by clicking the “plus” icon and selecting the “settings and privacy” option from the drop-down menu and checking the content they do not want. I do not want to see.
However, according to the
X has prohibited adult content that includes exploitation, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, obscene behavior or non-consensual images and videos.
A user complained that she can’t scroll through the X around her niece without fearing porn will appear
Even though X claims that people can remove unwanted sexually explicit content from their feed, people still complain that they watch endless amounts of porn.
Another user said they can’t open their X account at work or in front of their family because porn continually appears in their feed.
Porn content creators will need to adjust their media settings to place all images and videos behind a content warning that the user will need to acknowledge and approve before they can view it.
If posts are not flagged correctly, X said in the post that it will adjust the creator’s account settings for them.
Benarroch clarified that the addition of pornography “is not a new policy, but was simply released to clarify our policy language for all users and partners.”
“Our enforcement has not changed,” he continued, adding that “these newly defined policies simply replace our previous policies on sensitive media and violent speech.”
Users don’t want porn forced on them, with one person claiming they’ve been “exposed to more porn on X than real news.”
People complain that Musk has ruined the app since he acquired it for $44 billion in 2022.
Pornography has always been prevalent on X, but this is the first time the company has added rules and guidelines to clarify what is and is not allowed on the platform.
The company’s decision to formally allow adult content “fits well with the post-Musk marketing strategy,” said Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University. Variety.
“X is openly provocative and has sought to distinguish itself from ‘brand-safe’ competitors like Meta, YouTube and TikTok,” he continued.
“The company appears to be courting those workers – including creators and artists – who have been marginalized by the platform’s guidelines that tend to restrict nudity or sexual expression.”
Pornography has never been explicitly restricted for X, there simply were no specific parameters or guidelines.
Before Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of X, then Twitter, in 2022, adult content accounted for about 13 percent of posts. Reuters reported at the time.
Under the new guidelines, Benarroch said X is working to improve its policies by using machine learning technology to ensure the rules are followed.
It further clarified that “this type of content is not monetizable and as such, ads will not appear alongside this content.”
