Does anyone still remember when social media was all about catching up with friends, sharing memes, showing off vacation pictures, and the occasional celebrity stalking? You would log on to Facebook to see baby photos and memes, and Twitter for some unapologetic dark threads… It was fun, and for the most part, it felt safe. Today, you log in to a social media platform and wonder if you’ve accidentally stumbled onto an adult content site instead. What happened?
Scroll through your feed on X, Instagram, or even TikTok and you’re bound to come across a post that makes you turn down your volume and hide your screen. Be it the explicit visuals or the self-proclaimed “Ssengas” eager to share their insights on certain topics, the experience can be startling. Once upon a time, you had to search into specific corners of the Internet to find explicit content, now? It finds you and to many, this shift raises a huge question: Has social media kind of evolved into the next up-and-coming adult content hub, or is it simply a reflection of shifting human standards?
Does anyone remember the early days of social media? Platforms like Facebook and Twitter were all about connecting with people—sharing photos, thoughts, and updates. While private content occasionally made its way into public feeds, stumbling upon adult material was a rare nightmare for platform moderators. Back then, leaks were accidental—like a phone hack. Today, it’s intentional exposure or something…today? People intentionally expose themselves.
Frankly, though, social media has always been about grabbing attention. We all crave the massive likes and comments on our posts, unfortunately, content that drives such reactions is hard to make. As social media has evolved, so has the content.
People now realise these platforms are more than social spaces—they’re opportunities to leverage the masses for self-promotion. We’re all familiar with the idea of account monetization and making money from social media. In the end, adult content is still content. The rise of OnlyFans and other subscription-based social platforms has normalized monetizing adult content. Suddenly, sex workers and influencers have a new avenue to promote their services, turning social media into their billboard.
It’s not just the overtly adult accounts; even mainstream creators have realized that showing a bit more skin can boost engagement. The reality is that social media platforms prioritize content that holds attention. The more controversial or shocking the post, the greater its chances of going viral. And let’s be honest—sex sells.
Creators caught on to this quickly. Suggestive posts bring in likes, shares, and comments, which translates to more visibility. In a bid to go viral, many users began pushing boundaries, posting risqué content that would’ve once been flagged or removed.
It’s a slippery slope—what started as attention-seeking posts have gradually changed into full-blown adult content in some cases.
Is it safe for kids? Well, that’s a hard one to Answer. Social media is open to everyone, including children. While most platforms have age restrictions, we all know how easy it is for kids to bypass them, it’s a matter of faking a birthdate after all. I did it back in the day. You probably did it too, and kids today are no different. What’s more worrying is how these algorithms don’t discriminate, it doesn’t care if you are 13 or 30. If a child interacts with a suggestive post, even by accident, the algorithm will assume they want to see more and feed them more of the same content.
You will often find worries on parenting forums about social media and phone use for kids. Are social media companies doing enough to protect children? Or are they more focused on keeping users engaged, no matter what we see?
Parents now have an almost impossible task—how do you monitor what your child is exposed to on social media when the platforms themselves are becoming more like adult content hubs? And that’s not factoring in the tech-savvy kids who easily find ways to bypass all parental restrictions on their devices.
In the end, is social media turning into a hub for explicit content? Well, it’s undeniable that the lines between an explicit site and some social media are thinning. In fact, you will find that some platforms labelled as dating sites, and chatrooms are more of hookup spaces with everyone trying to be the most visually appealing. The platforms that once felt like safe spaces for social interaction are now teetering on the edge of becoming adult content hubs.
The question is: where do we draw the line? Social media has the power to connect us, educate us, and entertain us… it always has, but at the same time, it could also end up doing more harm than good. Stories of old men exploiting the young online are not new… maybe It’s time for platforms, users, and society at large to take a step back and rethink what kind of digital world we want to live in. In my view though, social media didn’t turn into a pornography site, we let it happen.
