Alexis Kestler
Social media allows us to connect with friends, stay up-to-date on current events, and express ourselves. However, many users want to limit their exposure to objectionable content on sites like Twitter. This guide will provide you with expert techniques to take back control over your Twitter feed and curate the experience you want.
What is "sensitive content" and why does Twitter flag it?
Simply put, "sensitive content" refers to tweets and media that some users may find offensive, inappropriate or disturbing. This includes:
- Adult content
- Graphic violence
- Hate speech
- Harassment
- Illegal content
- Self-harm
Twitter aims to balance freedom of expression with user safety. They use automated systems and human reviewers to detect content likely to violate their policies. Tweets identified as potentially sensitive will be flagged with a warning overlaying images/video and advising discretion before viewing.
3 big reasons to limit sensitive content in your Twitter feed
1. Avoid seeing unwanted graphic or adult content
Many users want to avoid inadvertently seeing pornography, gore, and other shocking images on their timeline. Twitter makes this possible by hiding sensitive media behind warnings.
2. Maintain a professional environment
Certain content may not be appropriate to view in workplaces. Turning off sensitive tweets enables a safer, more SFW experience for remote workers and office environments.
3. Control content that triggers or distresses you
Users with PTSD, anxiety, past trauma or other sensitivities may need to strictly limit content that causes them distress. Curbing graphic violence and slurs can make Twitter usable for more people.
Twitter’s 2022 sensitive content stats
- 17% of daily tweets in Q2 2022 contained sensitive media, up 3% year-over-year [source]
- 8.6 million accounts used Twitter’s opt-in Safety Mode to limit abusive content in Q2, up 16% from Q1 [source]
- Twitter took action on 5.9 million unique accounts for policy violations related to sensitive content in Q2 2022 [source]
Sensitive content remains prevalent on Twitter, underscoring the need for robust user controls.
How to turn off sensitive tweets and media in your Twitter feed
You can limit sensitive content through two key account settings:
1. Media content preferences
On mobile: Profile icon > Settings & privacy > Privacy & safety > Media > uncheck "Display media that may contain sensitive content"
On desktop: More > Settings & privacy > Privacy & safety > Media > uncheck “Display media…"
This hides images/videos flagged as sensitive, replacing them with a click-to-view warning.
2. Enable Safety Mode
Scroll down further and toggle on Safety Mode under Safety. This uses AI to detect harassment, hate speech, violence threats, and abusive behavior. Safety Mode hides problematic content and accounts while temporarily auto-blocking repeat offenders. Think of it as turning on the “maximum strength” filter.
Tip: You can also hide individual tweet media by tapping "Hide photo" instead of the warning.
How to view sensitive tweets again
If you change your mind, revisiting the steps above allows you to easily:
- Check “Display media that may contain sensitive content” to show all images/videos again
- Disable Safety Mode to remove restrictions and see all tweets
Take advantage of being able to switch these filters on and off at any time to find the right balance.
Advanced tips from power Twitter users
Take your content control to the next level with expert techniques:
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Use mute instead of block – Mute accounts occasionally posting sensitive content to remove their tweets from your feed temporarily while preserving the ability to visit their profile
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Leverage Twitter Lists – Keep track of accounts that regularly post sensitive content via Lists so you can check their updates separately from your main timeline
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Try TweetDeck – This advanced interface offers incredibly granular filters like keywords, phrases, hashtags, locations, links, and more to customize your content
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Alter search settings – Go to Search settings and uncheck "Safe search" and "Hide sensitive content" to see unfiltered results
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Double-check notification filters – Turn off push notifications for accounts prone to posting sensitive content so you aren‘t alerted to their tweets
Do certain topics bother you? Use these keyword filters
If there are themes, events or subjects you want to consistently avoid in your Twitter feed, try proactively filtering out keywords related to that content using these search operators:
weather -hurricane -tornadonews -shooting -violencepolitics -abortion
You can chain together exclusion filters like above to curate your digital space.
Should you report sensitive tweets that violate Twitter‘s policies?
Absolutely. Twitter relies on user reports to improve their proactive detection abilities. Report offensive tweets that promote:
- Violence against people or animals
- Child sexual exploitation
- Hateful conduct based on identity
- Illegal content or behaviors
- Non-consensual nudity
Visit Twitter’s policy page for details on what‘s prohibited. Reports are anonymous and help make the platform safer.
Remember, you ultimately control your Twitter experience
While Twitter works to detect and filter inappropriate content, the responsibility lies with you to customize your digital environment. Take a few minutes to update your account settings, Safety Mode, keyword filters, and notifications to gain better control over the tweets and media appearing in your feed and searches. The tools are there to curate the experience you want.
Conclusion: How to reduce sensitive content on Twitter
To quickly recap how to minimize graphic, adult, offensive, or otherwise undesirable content in your Twitter feed:
- Go to Settings & privacy > Privacy & safety
- Uncheck “Display media that may contain sensitive content”
- Enable Safety Mode for enhanced harmful content filtering
- Mute/block individual problematic accounts
- Use advanced keyword filters and TweetDeck to finely tune your feed
- Report tweets that violate Twitter‘s policies on offensive conduct
Hopefully this guide has equipped you to take control over what you see on Twitter and curate a digital space that feels comfortable to you. Stay safe and healthy out there!
