Bluesky lets you control what content you see, including adult material
Bluesky is a social network where you can adjust your content settings to show or hide posts marked as adult. By default, the app hides posts tagged as adult content — meaning you won't see them unless you change a setting. If you want to see this content, you turn on the adult content toggle in your preferences. This is different from blocking users or muting words; it's a single setting that affects what the whole network shows you.
The setting is straightforward to find and takes about 30 seconds to change. It applies across all devices where you use your account — if you turn it on on your phone, you'll see adult content on your computer too. The change happens when ready and doesn't require you to restart the app or sign out.
Key Takeaways
- Adult content on Bluesky is hidden by default; you must turn on a toggle in your settings to see it.
- The setting is in Preferences under Moderation or Content Preferences, labeled "Show adult content" or similar depending on your app version.
- Once you turn it on, posts tagged as adult will appear in your feed like any other post.
- You can turn the setting back off at any time, and adult posts will be hidden again when ready.
- Your content settings are private — nobody can see whether you have adult content turned on or off.
Where to find the adult content setting
Open Bluesky and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner (on mobile) or top right (on desktop). From there, select Settings. Look for a section called Moderation or Content Preferences — the exact name varies slightly depending on whether you're on iOS, Android, or web.
Inside that section, you'll see a toggle or checkbox next to "Show adult content" or "Display adult content." Tap or click it to turn it on. The change takes effect when ready; you don't need to restart the app or log out. If you're using the web version, the setting may be under Preferences instead of Settings, but the path is the same.
What happens after you turn it on
Once the setting is on, posts that creators have marked as adult content will appear in your feed normally. You'll see them mixed with other posts from people you follow. Bluesky doesn't separate adult content into a different section — it just removes the filter that was hiding it.
If you change your mind later, you can turn the setting back off the same way you turned it on. Posts will be hidden again within seconds. Your followers and the people you follow won't be notified about this change, and there's no record of when you turned the setting on or off.
How creators mark their own posts as adult
When someone posts on Bluesky, they can add a label to their post before publishing. One of those labels is "adult content." Creators use this label to mark posts that contain nudity, sexual material, or other adult themes. It's not automatic — the person posting has to choose to add the label themselves.
Not all adult-oriented posts are labeled, and not all labeled posts are adult-oriented. The label is a tool creators use voluntarily, so it depends on whether they remember to use it. If you see something you think should be labeled and isn't, you can report it to Bluesky's moderation team through the report feature on that post.
The difference between adult content labels and other content warnings
Bluesky has several types of labels creators can add to posts. Adult content is one. Others include labels for violence, self-harm, hate speech, or spam. Each label works the same way — if you have that type of content hidden in your settings, posts with that label won't show up in your feed.
You can control each type of label separately. You might turn on adult content but keep violence hidden, for example. Each setting is independent, so you have full control over what kinds of posts you see. This means you're not locked into an all-or-nothing choice about mature content.
What to do if you see content you don't want to see
If you turn on adult content and then see something you want to avoid, you have several options. You can mute the person who posted it, which hides all their posts from your feed without them knowing. You can block them, which prevents them from following you or seeing your posts. Or you can report the post itself if you think it violates Bluesky's rules.
You can also turn the adult content setting back off at any time. There's no penalty for changing your mind, and the setting will take effect when ready. You can toggle it on and off as often as you want without any consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know if I turn on adult content?
No. Your content settings are private. Nobody can see what you have hidden or shown in your preferences. The people you follow won't know whether you see adult content or not.
Does turning on adult content affect what I can post?
No. Your settings only control what you see in your feed. They don't change what you're allowed to post. If you want to post adult content, you add the label yourself when you create the post — that's a separate action from changing your viewing preferences.
Can I turn the setting on and off for specific people?
No. The adult content setting is account-wide. You can't show adult content from one person but hide it from another. If you want to avoid specific creators, use the mute or block feature instead.
What if I'm under 18?
Bluesky's terms of service require users to be at least 13 years old. If you're under 18, you can still change your content settings, but Bluesky's policies about adult content may differ for younger users depending on your region.