Twitter media policy

Our goal is to provide a service that allows you to discover and receive content from sources that interest you as well as to easily share your content with others. We also want you to understand our guidelines for making sure your content is labeled appropriately.

Media on Twitter

You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities. International users agree to comply with all local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.

In addition, you may not use graphic content (such as media containing pornography, excessive violence, or medical procedures) in your profile image, header image, or background image.

If you see media you think may be in violation of our policy, see this article for information about how to report it.

Your media settings

All Twitter accounts have media settings to help Twitter understand the type of media you are posting and to help us assist others to find the type of content that they’re interested in.

By appropriately marking your media settings, Twitter can identify potentially sensitive content that others users may not wish to see, such as violence or nudity. If you intend to regularly post such content, we request that you adjust your media setting:

1. Log in to your account on the web at twitter.com.
2. Click your profile icon in the top right navigation bar.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. Go to the Account settings tab.
5. Under the Content section, look for Tweet media and check the box next to Mark media I tweet as containing material that may be sensitive.

Media that is marked as containing sensitive content will have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the media. Only users who have opted in to see possibly sensitive content will see the media without the warning message.

What if I don’t change my media settings and post sensitive media?

If one of your Tweets containing media is reported as sensitive, it will be sent to the Twitter team for review. If we find that the media wasn’t marked as being potentially sensitive at the time of the upload:

• We label the media as being potentially sensitive.
• We may also change your account setting to Mark media I tweet as containing material that may be sensitive so that future posts are marked accordingly.

You will receive an email letting you know that we’ve labeled your media and if we changed your media setting. You will be able to change your media settings on your account settings page, though this image and any other images that have been labeled will remain marked as potentially sensitive.   

If you repeatedly upload media that are mislabeled, the Twitter team will:

• Label your media as having potentially sensitive content.
• Permanently adjust your account setting to Mark media I tweet as containing material that may be sensitive so that your future posts have a warning message users must click through before viewing your media.

What happens if my profile image is reported by others?

If your profile, header, or background image are reported to us and contain graphic content in violation of the Twitter Rules, we will suspend your account and remove the offending content. Repeat violations will result in a permanent suspension.

Can I appeal a decision made by the Twitter team?

If you are suspended for having a pornographic profile, header, or background image, you can appeal by logging in to your account and submitting an appeal here.

There is currently no way to appeal a decision by the Twitter team that permanently changes your account setting to Mark media I tweet as containing material that may be sensitive in response to repeated mislabeling of sensitive content.