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Social · Minimum age 13+ (18+ for sensitive media)

X (formerly Twitter): a guide for parents

X still hosts adult content (including pornography), but the old picture — ‘adult content available by default’ — is no longer accurate for UK users. Under the Online Safety Act (and matching Irish/EU rules), X introduced age assurance in July 2025: before showing sensitive media it estimates or verifies age using signals like the email address used at sign-up, account age, and contacts — and can ask for ID-based verification. Accounts X knows belong to under-18s cannot view sensitive media at all, and known minors get more protective defaults, including protected (private) posts. The EU has also opened formal proceedings against X under the Digital Services Act over risks to minors.

Policy review
Check current official guidance
Official minimum age
13
UK age assurance
Yes
UK users must pass age assurance (account signals or ID) to see sensitive media.

Why 13+ (18+ for sensitive media)?

The age limit, explained

X describes several age-assurance methods for sensitive media, including account signals and user-provided verification. Check its current help page for the options offered to your account. Platform documentation describes policy, not independently measured effectiveness. This review has not established that a VPN reliably bypasses these checks.

Evidence

What the sources say

These sources include platform policies, research and reporting. Historical findings describe their original dates and samples. Policy descriptions and age-assurance labels are not tests of every UK account. Menus and features can vary; follow the linked current instructions.

  1. [1] Platform policy · 2026

    X describes account signals, age estimation and user-provided verification options to restrict sensitive media.

    X — Age Assurance on X

Real risks

  • Pornographic content still hosted on the platform — now behind an age wall a teen can try to cheat
  • Targeted harassment via replies / quote-posts
  • Misinformation amplified by paid blue ticks

Settings to check tonight

  • UK age assurance required for sensitive media
  • Known under-18s get protected-post defaults automatically
  • Sensitive-media filter ON for under-18s
  • Disable DMs from non-followers
  • Mute words & accounts

Talk, don’t confiscate

How to start the conversation

  • Sensitive media is no longer ‘on by default’ in the UK — X now checks age first. Ask your teen: ‘Has X ever asked you to prove your age?’ If they can still see everything, either the account is registered with a false birthdate or something is masking their location.
  • If X knows the account holder is under 18, posts are protected by default — if your teen’s posts are public and they see sensitive media, the birthday on the account is worth an honest conversation.
  • Review privacy and contact settings together. If unwanted content appears, help them report it without blaming them or assuming how it got through.

Official guides

Step-by-step settings

Video tutorials

Watch it being done

Links open YouTube in a new tab. Where a link opens search results, check the uploader and publication date before following a tutorial.

Platform controls and guidance can change. Follow the official links for current instructions; the About page explains which checks have been completed.