X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, is testing a feature that allows users to create or join communities dedicated to “adult content” or other “not safe for work” material.
Users who create a community on the app can specify in settings that their group “contains adult content,” according to screenshots discovered by company analyst Daniel Buchuk. vigilant, which tracks application development testing. X groups will be labeled as “adult content”. Users who haven’t tagged their community may see some content filtered out or removed, according to screenshots of the rules.
Communities on X can be private, and it looks like the social network will eventually require age verification for groups that contain adult content. X policy currently restricts “graphics, adult nudity and sexual conduct for viewers under 18 or viewers who have not included a date of birth in their profile.” Senior Software Engineer X Dong Wook Chung published Thursday said the goal of the new label is to “make communities safer for everyone” and that “only users who specify their age will be able to search communities with NSFW content.”
A representative for X confirmed that Chang is an employee but declined to comment further.
U.S. lawmakers have made protecting teens and other young people online a key priority in recent months, including on controversial Senate hearing in January it featured the CEOs of several social media companies, including X’s Linda Yaccarino.
Openly offering “NSFW” groups could be another way for X to differentiate itself from other major social networks. Adult content existed on Twitter long before owner Elon Musk took control and changed the company’s name, and former Twitter executives even considered creating an OnlyFans-style subscription offering for adult content creators. Twitter pulled the plug on the project after deciding the company was not ready to police “harmful sexual content,” including child pornography, according to the report. Edge.
Musk has openly stated that he believes X should contain almost all content that is not illegal. X allows posts on topics such as sexual behavior if users mark them as sensitive, but this policy prohibits adult content in live broadcasts and profile pictures. This is also against the rules promote these topics as part of advertising.
It’s unclear when the test will be available to a wider audience, and it’s possible the feature could still be scrapped.