Sensitive Media

Overview

 

January 2024

You may post content that falls under our definitions of Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior with a content warning, but you may not share this media in a live video, or in your profile picture or header, List banner, or Community cover photo. Media depicting Gratutitous Gore, Violent Sexual Conduct, or Bestiality and Necrophilia is not permitted.

People use X to show what’s happening in the world, often sharing images and videos as part of the conversation. Sometimes, this media can depict sensitive topics, including graphic content, adult nudity, and sexual behavior. We recognize that some people may not want to be exposed to sensitive content, which is why we balance allowing people to share this type of media with helping people who want to avoid it to do so. 

For this reason, you can’t include graphic content, adult nudity, or sexual behavior within areas that are highly visible on X, including in live video, your profile picture or header, List banners, or Community cover photos. If you share this content on X, you need to mark your media or your account as sensitive. Doing so places images and videos behind a content warning that needs to be acknowledged before your media can be viewed. Using this feature means that people who don’t want to see sensitive media can avoid it, or make an informed decision before they choose to view it. We also restrict graphic media, adult nudity, and sexual behavior for viewers who are under 18 or viewers who do not include a birth date on their profile. Learn more about age restricted content here. Beginning January 2024, you may begin to see new media content warnings on posts that X has designated as Graphic (containing violent or hateful imagery) or containing Adult media (adult nudity and sexual behavior). When these new content warnings are available for you to use, please be sure to continue marking your sensitive media accordingly.

Under this policy, there are also some types of sensitive media that we don’t allow at all, because they have the potential to normalize violence and cause distress to those who view them. 

We group sensitive media content into the following categories: 


Graphic Content

Graphic Content is any media that depicts death, violence, medical procedures, or serious physical injury in graphic detail. Some examples include, but are not limited to, depictions of:

  • violent crimes or accidents; 
  • physical fights;
  • physical child abuse;
  • bodily fluids including blood, feces, semen etc.;
  • serious physical harm, including visible wounds; and
  • severely injured or mutilated animals. 
     

Note: exceptions may be made for documentary or educational content. 

Adult Nudity and Sexual Behavior

Adult Nudity and Sexual Behavior is any consensually produced and distributed media that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal. Some examples include, but are not limited to, depictions of:

  • full or partial nudity, including close-ups of genitals, buttocks, or breasts (excluding content related to breastfeeding);
  • simulated sexual acts; and
  • sexual intercourse or other sexual acts – this also applies to cartoons, hentai, or anime involving humans or depictions of animals with human-like features.
     

Note: exceptions may be made for artistic, medical, health, or educational content. 

For content that was created or distributed without the consent of those featured, please refer to our non-consensual nudity policy

Violent Sexual Conduct

Violent Sexual Conduct is any media that depicts violence, whether real or simulated, in association with sexual acts. Some examples include, but are not limited to, depictions of:

  • rape and other forms of violent sexual assault, or sexual acts that occur without the consent of participants, including a simulated lack of consent; and
  • sexualized violence – inflicting physical harm on an individual within an intimate setting, where it is not immediately obvious if those involved have consented to take part.
     

Bestiality and Necrophilia

Bestiality is any media that depicts sexual acts between a human and an animal. Necrophilia is any media that depicts sexuals acts between a living human and a human corpse.

 

Gratuitous Gore

Gratuitous Gore is any media that depicts excessively graphic or gruesome content related to death, violence or severe physical harm, or graphic content that is shared for sadistic purposes. Some examples include, but are not limited to, depictions of:

  • dismembered or mutilated humans;
  • charred or burned human remains;
  • exposed internal organs or bones; and
  • animal torture or killing. 

 

Note: exceptions may be made for religious sacrifice, food preparation or processing, and hunting. 

 

For deceased individuals, please refer to our Deceased individuals policy.

 

What is in violation of this policy?


Our aim is to limit exposure to sensitive images and videos and to prevent the sharing of potentially disturbing types of sensitive media. For this reason, we differentiate our enforcement approach depending on the type of media that has been shared and where it has been shared. 
 

Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior

  • you can’t target people with unsolicited images or videos that contain Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior
  • you can’t include Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, or Sexual Behavior within live video, or in your profile picture or header, List banners, or Community cover photos.
     

Violent Sexual Conduct, Bestiality and Necrophilia, and Gratuitous Gore

We strictly prohibit sharing Violent Sexual Conduct and Bestiality and Necrophilia to prevent the normalization of sexual assault and non-consensual violence associated with sexual acts. We also prohibit Gratuitous Gore content because research has shown that repeated exposure to excessively graphic content online may negatively impact an individual’s wellbeing. 

Note: very limited exceptions may be made for gory media associated with newsworthy events. 

 

What is not a violation of this policy?


You can share Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior within your posts, provided that you mark this media with a content warning.

You can adjust your media settings if you intend to regularly post this content, or add one-time content warnings to individual posts. Learn more here. If you don’t mark your media as sensitive, we will do so manually if your content is reported for review.  We may also limit exposure of posts depicting Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior.

 

Who can report violations of this policy?


Anyone can report potential violations of this policy via our dedicated reporting flows

 

What happens if you violate this policy?


The enforcement action we take depends on the type of media you have shared, and where you have shared it. 
 

Graphic Content, Adult Nudity, and Sexual Behavior

  • if shared in a live video, or in your profile picture or header, List banner, or Community cover photo - we will require you to remove this content

  • if you target someone with this content, we'll require you to remove it under our Abuse & Harassment policy

  • we may limit exposure of posts depicting this content

     

Violent Sexual Conduct, Bestiality and Necrophilia

  • sharing these kinds of media anywhere on X is strictly prohibited. For the first time you violate this policy, we will require you to remove this content. If you violate this policy again after your first warning, your account may be permanently suspended

  • your account may be permanently suspended if the majority of your activity on X is sharing this type of media.

     

 Gratuitous Gore

  • if shared in a post, we will require you to remove this content

  • if shared in a live video, or in your profile picture or header, List banner, or Community cover photo – the first time you violate this policy, we will require you to remove this content. If you violate this policy again after your first warning, your account may be permanently suspended

  • your account may be permanently suspended if the majority of your activity on X is sharing this type of media.

     

If you believe that your account was suspended in error, you can submit an appeal.


Learn more about our range of enforcement options and our approach to policy development and enforcement.