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Porn is allowed on X, but you can block it
The social network X (I still think of it as Twitter) has always had its seedier corners, but now Elon Musk has officially said porn is OK on the platform. And to keep your, uh, activity private, they’re now hiding likes, too. Coincidence? Yeah, I don’t think so.
Running into X-rated images is not going to be OK with millions of X users. If your kid is on X, you should walk them through these steps. If you don’t want to see … well, whatever people start posting, pop into your settings, too. It’s easiest to do on your computer.
To turn off the NSFW stuff on the web:
- Click More > Settings and privacy.
- Choose Privacy and safety > Content you see.
- Uncheck the Display media that may contain sensitive content box.
- Click Search settings and check Hide sensitive content.
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).
- Choose Muted words.
- Click the + (plus) button (top right) > Enter the word to block — like #nsfw.
- Make sure From anyone and Until you unmute the word are selected.
- Click Save.
Pro tip: NSFW means “not safe for work.” Yeah, use your imagination and you’ll know what kind of pics that means.
A word of warning
If you’re setting up these filters for your children rather than yourself, they can turn them right back off again. Don’t sneak in and do it — have a frank chat about why these settings should be adjusted. A good conversation can do wonders.
If all else fails, though, there are stricter options.
- On Apple phones and laptops, use the Screen Time feature to put limits on content and apps. Go to Settings > Screen Time on an iPhone or System Settings > Screen Time on a Mac.
- On Android, install Google Family Link, and on Windows try Microsoft Family Safety.
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.
Tags: accounts, Android, Apple, Apple iPhone, Apple Mac, apps, Chat, computer, Elon Musk, family, Feature, filters, Google, hashtags, Images, kids, Microsoft Windows, network, options, platform, privacy, safety, screen, screen time, Search, settings, time, tools, users, warning, X (Twitter)
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