In the ever-changing world of social media, Twitter has remained unique. This platform combines the influencer fame of Instagram with the dialogue and anonymity of Reddit or Tumblr, while still reaching a wider age range than other sites. Unlike its similar platforms, Twitter has remained somewhat unfiltered; it’s no secret that X-rated content is easily accessible there. This comes as a stark contrast from sites like Instagram and Facebook, which take a hard stance against adult content, removing posts and banning users who attempt to share it. Twitter has also been reported as a major news source for its younger users, attributed to its real-time release of information from multiple sources. This uniqueness is where Twitter has gained its popularity, but with increasing Internet regulations and the trends of other social media sites, will it remain this way for long?
Of course, Twitter is not the only site to have accessible pornography, but what sets it apart is its simultaneous influencer platform. Twitter boasts a high percentage of celebrity users, both those of established fame and those who gained popularity from their accounts. For this reason, the site draws fans who feel intimately connected to their favorite person. This close contact between celebrities and fans can potentially blur the lines of appropriate relationships, especially considering the age difference.
Likewise, fans can access much more information about celebrities than they may intend. Twitter has been the site of many leaked photos, videos, and other media that was hacked or stolen from someone’s personal device. Celebrities are often targets of these crimes as their content sells at a high price point and will likely make national news. When this content is posted and “goes viral” (meaning many people view it) a large number of users who are underage may see it too. This is because oftentimes the fanbase of these celebrities is young, such as Jeanette McCurdy whose lingerie selfies were leaked in 2014. She was a star on a Nickelodeon show targeted towards children and teenagers, and this leak actually ended her Nickelodeon career. More recently, movie star Noah Centineo known for his roles in teenager movies had personal videos released of him masturbating. Interestingly, unlike Jeanette, his career flourished after this.
Fans of celebrities like Jeanette and Noah are often young– in the teenage range, under 18. It’s important to think about how viewing pornographic content, especially of a celebrity they idolize, can affect a child’s wellbeing and development. Of course it’s not Twitter’s intention to expose underage users to pornography, and they have taken steps to prevent unsolicited views on their adult content. Twitter does officially restrict adult content to users who either do not enter an age on their profile or who enter a date of birth younger than 18 years old. However, there is no official verification of these ages, and it’s no secret that young people know their way around this rule.
Twitter has also become a popular platform to draw fans to third-party sites such as OnlyFans, where they can pay to view premium explicit content from their favorite creators. Some creators have gained fame from their adult content, such as Mia Khalifa. Others were celebrities first from their entertainment careers, then started on adult sites for supplemental income such as Bella Thorne. In addition to free explicit content, creators will post promotions for their paid platforms to draw consumers in. Promotions may be popular, but there is plenty of free pornography on Twitter too. It’s easily found with keyword searches or looking through popular adult blogs. Still, it’s not an “everything goes” policy; content that appears to lack consent such as hidden camera videos or highly edited videos that fake a person’s identity can be reported and will likely be removed.
Aside from this regulation, pornography is present and constantly growing, with a variety of kink content as well. The presence of adult and kink content on a popular social media channel is significant; it creates a place for community and normalization of these sometimes “taboo” topics. These forms of adult content draw in a substantial amount of users for Twitter, both on the creator and consumer sides, which makes having adult content that much more valuable for the platform.
It’s possible that Twitter won’t remain this way forever. There have been a few news articles lately suggesting that other countries are tightening up their Twitter regulations. The United Kingdom has been discussing requiring age verification checks for each user who enters the site, such as the United States does with drugs and alcohol sites. Even within the US, as recently as 2019, Twitter announced that users could no longer have adult content in their header images or profile photos, and that any users who post adult content must mark their account as “Sensitive” so it will display a warning before their posts can be viewed. This change was designed to prevent unsuspecting individuals from viewing adult or violent content, requiring them to click on the profiles in order to view it.
In the past few years, other social media sites have tightened their restrictions, namely Tumblr, which made the switch to clean content only in 2018, following allegations of child pornography being promoted on their site. Other influencer platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are strictly anti-adult content as well, focusing on serving all ages. When it comes down to it, it seems to be almost impossible to accurately identify all legal pornography and simultaneously protect it from reaching underage viewers. While other sites have folded under this challenge, Twitter remains, but for how long?
By Sydney Sullivan