X to Introduce "Adult Content" Designation for Communities Feature

X is currently developing features that will enable administrators of "Communities," the platform's tool for subreddit-like groups, to categorize these spaces as containing "adult content." This development was confirmed by an engineer at X amidst reports that the company, now owned by Elon Musk, was working on enabling NSFW (Not Safe for Work) groups.

In a recent post on X, engineer Dong Wook Chung announced that NSFW content would soon be automatically filtered in the app's Communities feature. Chung explained, "Admins can now set 'Adult content' in Settings to avoid auto-filtering of the content."

According to Bloomberg, earlier indications hinted at X's plans to introduce settings for "adult-sensitive" content. While X currently allows users to share nudity and other "graphic" content, certain areas of the app, such as profile photos and cover images for Communities, do not permit such content.

X's Communities feature was implemented prior to Elon Musk's acquisition of the company. Twitter initially experimented with this concept in 2021, aiming to create "a more intimate space for conversations" on the platform. Although Twitter never publicly discussed enabling NSFW features for Communities, the app did allow adult content, distinguishing it from most other social media platforms. In 2022, the company reportedly explored the idea of developing an OnlyFans competitor through its creator subscription product. However, this plan was ultimately abandoned, as reported by the Platformer newsletter, due to concerns that it could "exacerbate" the company's issues with illegal child exploitation content.

It remains unclear whether X's current leadership has addressed these concerns. In a separate post, X engineer Chung emphasized that the new filtering settings aim to "make Communities safer for everyone by automatically filtering out" adult content. Chung added, "Only users who have specified their age will be able to search Communities with NSFW content."