X changes porn policy to opt-in system that blocks under-18 users
GuardianMay 21
X Updates Policy to Officially Allow Adult Content
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The Facts
Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has updated its guidelines to officially allow adult content if it's consensual and clearly labeled. The new policy states, "Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression."
Users who "regularly post" adult content must update their settings to ensure their posts are marked as sensitive material. Users under 18 or who haven't entered their birthdate can't access such content.
The Spin
Progressive narrative
As almost every other popular social media platform has either banned or limited ad revenue for adult content creators, X and its predecessor, Twitter, have rightly allowed sex workers to continue making a living. Consensual pornography is not some lude form of clickbait but rather an economic lifeline for sex workers. X should continue its tradition of offering a safe and reliable marketplace for the industry.
Conservative narrative
Pornography is a destructive force that negatively impacts our brains, artificially alters sexual taste, and ruins relationships. While legally banning it has not proven effective, that doesn't mean the digital town square should be promoting it. People used to have to search for such content on the internet's fringes, but now, even children are bombarded by it in their social media feeds.