X, formerly Twitter, is turning on porn — but you can block it

X recently announced that porn is officially allowed on its platform – here's how to opt yourself out of seeing things you (and your kids) are better off not seeing.

Jun 20, 2024 - 07:05
X, formerly Twitter, is turning on porn — but you can block it

The social network X, formerly Twitter, has always had its seedier corners, but now Elon Musk has officially said porn is OK on the platform formerly known as Twitter. And to keep your activity private, they’re now hiding likes, too. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

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Running into X-rated images is not going to be OK with millions of X users. Luckily you can adjust a few settings to control what you see on your timeline. If your kid is on X, you should walk them through these steps, too. 

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Bye-bye, NSFW posts

NSFW means "not safe for work." Use your imagination, and you’ll know what kind of pics that means. Hiding that stuff is easiest from a computer.

To turn off adult content on the web:

You can get specific, too

On the Privacy and safety menu, there's also a Mute and block option. Use this to hide certain words, hashtags and accounts you don't want popping up on your timeline (or your kids' timelines).

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Kids should not be on X

But if yours are, know that it’s easy for kids to get around the filters on X. Don’t sneak in and do it — have a frank chat about why these settings shouldn’t be adjusted. A good conversation can do wonders.

If all else fails, though, there are stricter options.

There are a ton of third-party parental-control apps to choose from if you don't want to rely on the tools from Apple, Google and Microsoft. They'll let you block X altogether or block unsuitable content from showing up.

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