Twitter might not be the first place you associate with explicit content. Secondly, when it comes to social media popular among kids, platforms like TikTok and Snapchat usually steal the spotlight, leaving Twitter in the background as a more news-oriented and adult-focused space.
So, you might be wondering: why and how are kids stumbling upon explicit content on Twitter? The simple answer is that the platform makes it pretty easy to find. In this post, we’ll dig into this worrisome trend, helping you understand the ins and outs of how it happens and offering some tips on how to protect your child from stumbling upon content that might not be suitable for them just yet.
Navigating Twitter’s Approach to Sexual Content
Unlike more closely monitored platforms like Facebook, Twitter aims to balance censorship and free expression, creating a potentially risky space for children. The platform acknowledges the possibility of users encountering inappropriate content but relies on two challenging-to-enforce rules:
-
Moderated Spaces: Users are discouraged from posting excessively gory or adult content in public areas. However, those actively searching for such content have unrestricted access once found.
-
Sensitivity Label: While users are encouraged to mark graphic content as sensitive, there’s no age-gating. Twitter won’t automatically label sensitive content, relying on user reports. Unfortunately, those seeking explicit content are unlikely to report it.
Twitter Has a Lot of Porn and Kids Know How to Get It
Twitter lets you search for anything you want, just like Google. But be careful, because you might end up seeing a lot of porn on your screen. You can find porn by typing normal words like “porn”, or by using tricks like “p0rn” and “seggs”. Twitter doesn’t care much about what you search for, so you don’t even need to be sneaky. For example, if you look for “anime porn”, you’ll get a lot of dirty pictures right away.
Some kids are finding out about Twitter porn from other apps. On TikTok, you can watch videos where people tell you how to get porn on Twitter. Some of them also say that Twitter is better than Pornhub or other porn sites. And some of them make jokes about how their parents don’t know why they are always on Twitter. (They think they are just tweeting, but they are actually watching porn).
How Kids Watch Porn on Twitter Without Getting Caught
Twitter is a sneaky way for kids to watch porn because their parents might not notice it. Most people think of Twitter as a place to see what celebrities are doing or what’s happening in the world, not as a place to find porn. And, since Twitter is not very popular with Gen Z, parents don’t usually worry about it when they make rules for screen time or web filters. Plus, kids don’t even need to have a Twitter account or use the app to see the porn. They can just go online and look at it without anyone knowing.
How Twitter Shows Porn
Twitter is not like other porn sites that have long videos. Twitter is mostly for other things, but it also has a lot of porn. The porn on Twitter is usually short and very dirty. Sometimes, it is just pictures, or animations, or short clips.
Sometimes, there are also words that describe sex in a very nasty way. And sometimes, there are links to other sites that have more porn. Kids can click on these links and see a lot of things they shouldn’t see.
