X (formerly Twitter) has new rules that officially let people share porn and other sexual content. The site updated its rules to say users can “share adult nudity or sexual behavior” as long as it was made and shared with consent.
However, there are some limits. Porn cannot be shown in main profile pictures or banners. Users who regularly post porn will need to mark that content as sensitive. By default, people under 18 cannot see the sexual content.
The new rules also ban any content involving exploitation, non-consensual acts, objectification, sexualizing minors, or obscene behavior.
Enforcing the new porn rules may be difficult for X. Earlier this year, AI-made explicit images of celebrity Taylor Swift spread quickly on the site before being removed.
Other social media sites have struggled with porn sharing too. Tumblr banned adult content in 2018, leading to a big drop in traffic. Payment processors have also cracked down, forcing sites like OnlyFans to get stricter about sexual material.
By allowing some porn, X may be hoping to earn more money. Creators could charge people to see adult content, like they do on OnlyFans. Ad sales have dropped for X since Elon Musk bought the company.
In March, X said porn communities could use an “Adult Content” label. The site also started hiding public like counts, which exposed some people liking objectionable posts.
