X (formerly Twitter) blocks 18+ content for unverified accounts – what it means for Polish users

On Friday X (formerly Twitter) introduced a global block on adult content for accounts without a confirmed adult age. The changes are already noticeable in Poland: if your profile has no date of birth or you have not completed age verification, erotic photos, videos and graphics are replaced with the message “Sensitive media – unavailable”.

Why did X decide on the block?

• The platform is responding to new rules in Europe, especially from Ireland and the United Kingdom, which require “effective age verification tools” for pornographic content.
• The regulator Coimisiún na Meán warned X that a lack of controls risks fines of up to 10 percent of annual turnover.
• The company says it wants to protect minors and give adults a choice over whether they see NSFW material.

How does the new system work?

Algorithm plus manual verification

X uses machine learning to flag “Sensitive media” and, from July 24, is rolling out two-step age verification:

1. Automatic signals (registration date, previous account flags, network of friends).
2. If that is not enough – submitting a scan of an ID or a short video selfie for AI-based age analysis.

Who does the block affect?

• Users with no date of birth entered or with a date indicating they are under 18.
• Accounts of any age that have turned off “Display media that may contain sensitive content” in settings.
• Profiles viewed in incognito mode.

What changes for Polish creators and viewers?

NSFW content creators

• All 18+ material must carry an “Adult Content” label – without it, posts risk removal and the account faces a temporary block.
• The reach of these tweets is limited; they will not appear in search results or in the “For You” tab.

How the new rules will affect "18+" creators and accounts showing graphic material

• NSFW creators from OnlyFans – until now they used X as a free website to promote paid content. Now every tweet without a proper “Adult Content” label risks removal, and the reach of labeled posts will be heavily cut anyway. Visibility in the “For You” tab will drop almost to zero, limiting the acquisition of new subscribers. In addition, the age verification requirement will deter some followers who do not want to scan documents.
• Profiles covering accidents, disasters and other “controversial” material – although not pornographic, they still fall under the “Sensitive media” category. If administrators do not label every image or recording, posts will disappear and the account may receive a temporary “shadowban”. The algorithm will be stricter: even realistic injuries from road accidents may be automatically hidden from unverified users.
• Brands and influencers balancing on the edge – lifestyle creators who used erotic elements (e.g. lingerie shoots) will have to decide whether to post censored versions or attach an NSFW label and accept lower reach. This may push their activity to less restrictive platforms such as Telegram or Reddit.
• Economic effect – less organic traffic means higher promotion costs.
• Risk of content “outflow” – history shows that when Tumblr banned pornography in 2018, it lost 30% of its traffic within six months. If X does not find a balance between protecting minors and exposure for adult creators, a similar exodus may await it.

Viewers

• Adults can still unlock content:
  • Fill in the date of birth in your profile.
  • Turn on the option to display sensitive material in “Settings and privacy – Privacy and safety”.
  • If requested, complete a one-time ID or selfie verification.
• People under 18 will not gain access even after changing the settings.

Useful tips

• If you still don’t see NSFW content after the update despite correct settings, try logging out of the app and logging back in – the cache sometimes holds old rules.
• A VPN does not bypass the block, because verification happens at the account level, not based on geolocation.
• Creators may move some content to closed channels (e.g. OnlyFans), but X remains a valuable traffic “funnel” – it is worth simply labeling posts correctly.

Perspective: more control or censorship?

The new rules fit into a broader trend of tightening age requirements online. Poland is considering its own pornography filter at the ISP level, while Visa and Mastercard are putting financial pressure on “18+” platforms. For adult users this means an extra click, but for minors it is a real barrier. X stresses that “freedom of speech ends where responsibility for the youngest begins” – and it is hard to disagree with that.