A rising trend of explicit materials on the X platform (formerly Twitter) has triggered a wave of social media campaign by Nigerians with the hashtag #BanPornonX, calling on the owner of the microblogging site, Elon Musk, to put a stop to it.
Netizens were urging Musk to intervene and implement stringent measures to combat the rampant spread of adult content. The campaign gained substantial momentum on Saturday February 24, as users united to apply pressure on Musk.
Vocal promoters of the campaign expressed concerns about potential exposure of underage social media users to explicit content, urging Musk to implement measures that would curtail negative societal attitudes towards sex and relationships.
Despite X’s established policies explicitly forbidding unsolicited pornographic content, the platform has evolved into an inadvertent hub for organised distribution of such material.
Content promoters employ various tactics, such as disguising ads as regular content to redirect users to explicit websites and X accounts, adding to the frustration of avid users of the platform.
X media policy bars adult nudity and sexual behaviour, encompassing content deemed “pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal.” This encompasses full or partial nudity, simulated sex acts, and explicit depictions in cartoons, hentai, or anime involving humans or animals with human-like features.
While X’s guidelines encourage disseminators to flag sensitive content, allowing users to make informed decisions, lax enforcement has facilitated the proliferation of adult content.
As of now, Elon Musk has not responded to the escalating demands from users.
