Users have expressed their outrage on Elon Musk’s X after the billionaire officially allowed porn on the platform.
Sexually explicit content has notoriously existed on the social media site since before Musk took ownership in 2022, but was not officially permitted until now.
The policy for such content, updated Monday, states that porn is ‘a legitimate form of artistic expression’ but content will be marked so users under 18 years old can’t see it.
But the frustration comes as users claimed they are now seeing more porn since the announcement, and expressed concern that they can’t open the app around young family members or at work for fear of them seeing sexually explicit content.
Elon Musk (pictured) is officially allowing users to post porn on X and users are outraged over seeing the unwanted content on their feed and are calling for a ban
Some users called for a ban, saying they don’t want to see porn on X and it will make people leave the app
X’s new policy has put some users in a difficult position, with several saying they’ll leave the platform if the content continues to appear on their feed.
One user went so far as to say they’d been exposed to more porn on the site than real 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 view, rather than foisting it on everyone,’ another user wrote on X.
‘I don’t want to be looking at animal and nature videos with my niece and be on guard in case porn pops up and I have to exit quickly.’
X spokesperson Joe Benarroch told DailyMail.com that users will only see content from the adult creator if they follow that person’s handle.
‘It must be searched for, and then followed in order for it to show up in your ‘For You’ feed,’ Benarroch said.
‘For comparison, this almost identical to how users search for adult content via Google.’
The allowed adult content includes photos, videos, anime and AI-generated material that displays 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 put restrictions in place that prohibits child pornography and nonconsensual material.
The platform said if a user doesn’t want to see the content, they should adjust their media settings by clicking the ‘more’ icon and selecting the ‘settings and privacy’ option from the drop-down menu and check off the content you don’t want to see.
However, according to X’s Help Center, selecting a category such as nudity, violence or sensitive material won’t necessarily remove it from the feed but will instead be flagged with a ‘content warning’ to the post.
X has prohibited adult content that includes exploitation, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, obscene behavior or nonconsensual images and videos.
A user complained that she can’t scroll through X around her niece without fearing porn will pop up
Despite X claiming people can remove the unwanted sexually explicit content from their feed, people are still complaining that they are seeing endless amounts of porn
Another user said they can’t open their X account at work or in front of family because porn continuously appears on their feed
Porn content creators will be required to adjust their media settings to place all images and video behind a content warning that will need to be acknowledged and approved by the user before it can be viewed.
If the posts aren’t correctly marked, X said in the post it will adjust the creators account settings for them.
Benarroch clarified that the porn addition ‘is not a new policy, but was simply launched to clarify our policy language for all users and partners.
‘Our enforcement has not changed,’ he continued, adding that ‘these new defined policies simply replace our former Sensitive Media and Violent Speech policies.’
Users don’t want porn to be forced upon them, with one person claiming they’ve been ‘exposed to more porn on X than real news’
People are complaining that Musk has ruined the app since his $44 billion acquisition of it in 2022
Porn has always been prevalent on X, but this is the first time the company has added rules and guidelines to clarify what is and isn’t allowed on the platform
The company’s move to formally allow adult content ‘dovetails well with the company’s post-Musk marketing strategy,’ Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University, told Variety.
‘X is unapologetically provocative and has sought to distinguish itself from ‘brand-safe’ competitors’ like Meta, YouTube and TikTok,’ she continued.
‘The company seems to be courting those workers — including creators and artists — who have been marginalized by platform guidelines that tend to restrict nudity or sexual expression.’
Porn has never been explicitly restricted on X, there just weren’t specific parameters and guidelines in place.
Prior to Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of X, then-Twitter, in 2022, adult content accounted for roughly 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 enforced.
He further clarified that ‘this type of content is not monetizable and as such, ads will not appear next to this content.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk