Using the NSFW tag

On Ko-fi you can tag your page as Not Safe For Work (NSFW). NSFW is an advisory label used for content or activity suitable only to be accessed/viewed by an 18+ audience.

However, not all NSFW content is allowed.

The NSFW tag does not provide an option for pornography or sexually explicit nudity; harmful or hateful conduct; or other entirely prohibited activities and forms of content.

In this article, which is an extension of our main content guidelines, we look at what kind of content is allowed with the NSFW tag and what kind of content is not allowed on Ko-fi at all.

The basics

1. Your page must be compliant with Ko-fi's content guidelines regardless of using the NSFW tag.
   
   
2. If any part of your page contains any content that could be deemed by some audiences as offensive or of a mature nature (examples below), please tag your page as NSFW. This must be applied even where the content is locked (i.e. membership tiers and supporters-only content).
   
   
3. If any part of your page links to any content that could be deemed by some audiences as offensive or of a mature nature (examples below), please also tag your page as NSFW.

NSFW content vs. prohibited content

This non-exhaustive list of examples aims to help creators understand how Ko-fi defines NSFW and the appropriate use of the NSFW tag.

Key:
✅ = OK with NSFW tag
❌ = Not allowed on Ko-fi (regardless of NSFW tag)

Adult Content

This section expands on some of the more nuanced points in our main content guidelines, such as sexualised nudity; select uses of covered and censored sexualised nudity; high-risk fetish and paraphilia content; and other examples of what’s okay with the NSFW tag versus what’s not allowed on Ko-fi at all.

Content warning: some of the examples provided are explicit in their detail.

Nudity and partial nudity

✅ Non-sexualised nudity, including partial, in a cultural or lifestyle context (e.g. naturism; tribal nudity; tattoo work; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Non-sexualised nudity, including partial, in an educational and/or medical context (e.g. breastfeeding; personal journeys relating to gender-affirming surgery; breast cancer; sex education; historic photographs; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Non-sexualised nudity, including partial, in an artistic context (e.g. professional modeling photoshoots; stock image modeling; body painting with evident artistic intent; statues; illustrations; paintings (think of nudity as it is typically portrayed in classical or renaissance paintings); mods in which nudity is displayed but is not sexualised and is not the purpose of the mod e.g. a tattoo mod may have to show nudity; etc. - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Lightly sensual nudity, including partial. By this, we mean illustrations/sketches/digital art featuring: breast nudity that is paired with other suggestive but non-explicit visuals such as protruding tongue; flushed skin; placement of hands on breasts; embracing; etc. - this applies to fictional content.
✅ Lightly sensual content featuring clothed side or underboob - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Partial display of buttocks and buttocks cleft above trousers/pants - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Sexualised nudity, including partial, such as when paired with kink or fetish elements; pornographic content (sex acts and explicit emulation of sex acts); an adult content creator context; bodily fluids including lookalike substances; exhibitionist poses (splayed legs, on-all-fours, flashing, etc.); squeezing, groping or pulling at breasts and/or genitalia; and/or when offered as a ‘product’ for sale - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Exhibitionist poses (splayed legs, on-all-fours, etc.) in which underwear/thong g-string is thin enough to reveal the outer labia or skin which may be mistaken for the outer labia; testicles; or the anal opening/periphery - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Exhibitionist poses or sexualised framing (e.g. close-up shots) of breasts partially displaying the areolae - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Donations drive content that promises forthcoming sexualised nudity/partial nudity - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ AI-generated content that uses a known person’s likeness (e.g. a celebrity) and features nudity, including partial, regardless of whether sexual or non-sexual - this applies to fictional content.

Covered and censored nudity
✅Non-sexualised covered or censored nudity in an artistic or lifestyle context (e.g. professional photoshoots, including in the bath; naturism; stock image modeling; the censoring of nudity as a social statement; illustrations; paintings; mods; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Lightly sensual content in which nudity is substantially covered or censored (e.g. nudity covered by towels; plushies; pillows; cushions; and, for breasts, hair that is sufficiently long and thick enough to provide full coverage) - this applies to real content.
✅ Lightly sensual content in which nudity is censored or covered either substantially or minimally - this applies to fictional content (note: for photorealistic AI content, this should be substantially covered/censored).
✅ Non-sexualised clothed content in an artistic, commercial, or sporting context featuring nipple imprints or the outline of genitalia (e.g. modeling underwear or related products; athletes in tight clothing; paintings; illustrations; mods; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Lightly sensual content featuring either the bulge of the scrotum or in which the outline of the genitalia is ambiguous (e.g. due to artistic elements such as shading, linework, etc.) - this applies to fictional content.
❌ Pornographic content (sex acts and explicit emulation of sex acts) regardless of the extent to which it has been covered/censored - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Sexualised content (exhibitionist poses such as splayed legs, on-all-fours; close-up shots of breasts or genitalia; inclusion of kink or fetish elements; etc.) in which nudity is covered/censored very minimally (e.g. hands; fingers; forearm; tape; emoji; dots; tassels; thoroughly soaked clothing; etc.) - this applies to real content and photorealistic AI content
❌ Nude content that is covered/censored as a form of paywall (i.e. using a censored/covered preview to solicit donations or purchase of the uncensored version) - this applies to real and fictional content.

Suggestive content
✅ Suggestive poses (clothed) with emphasis on buttocks and/or crotch or cleavage - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Implied nudity (i.e. nudity that may or may not be present - whereas we class covered/censored nudity as an obvious obstruction of nudity) - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content featuring children in suggestive clothing and/or poses - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Lightly sensual content that appears to depict or uses lookalike substances for explicit bodily fluids (e.g. semen) - this applies to real and fictional content.

Fetishes and paraphilia
✅ Non-explicit content that poses no harm to participants (e.g. wearing latex, etc.) or viewers - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Non-explicit content that is harmless and rooted entirely in fantasy (e.g. drawing balloon-like or otherwise large or small characters; characters with lots of muscles; etc.) - this applies to fictional content.
✅ Cultural and/or artistic depictions of content that are sometimes associated with fetish content e.g. shibari - note: we do not allow sexual bondage scenarios - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content that poses harm to participants (e.g. addiction; weight gain via excessive eating or force-feeding; fainting; asphyxiation; hyperventilation; choking; biting; torture; knife play; self-harm; abuse, including animal abuse or death; etc.) or viewers - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content, including adult roleplay, that sexualises infants/children - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content focused on or resulting in bodily fluids (e.g. feces, urine, semen, vomit, breast discharge, or lookalike substances) - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content focusing on or containing elements of pornography (including emulation of sex acts), sexualised nudity, and/or explicit BDSM themes - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Foot fetish content or themes - this applies to real and fictional content.

Sexual acts
✅ Tame images that imply sexual activity (e.g. interlocking fingers; under the bed sheets; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
✅ Significantly cropped content in which possible sexual activity is not apparent, explicit, or distasteful (note: we may take action if our systems flag the original pre-cropped image or if accompanying text describes the cropped activity and we consider this to be explicit ) - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Depictions of implied sexual activity that are nonetheless relatively explicit (e.g. implied oral sex, penetration, masturbation, rape, or consensual non-consent; use of fluids; etc.) - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content that has been cropped but is still identifiable as pornography (this may be due to minimal cropping, a text description accompanying the image, or our systems having flagged the original pre-cropped image) - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Content that implies sexual activity and that is being used to solicit the purchase of or donations in exchange for the full explicit version - this applies to real and fictional content.
❌ Sale/provision of AI models trained to engage in explicit activities or training instructions for this purpose - this applies to fictional content.
❌ Development or streaming of pornographic/explicit erotic/sex simulator games - this applies to real and fictional content.

Non-visual content
✅ Blogs/articles/posts discussing sexual health/advice/education/lifestyles
✅ Discussion pieces, analyses, or reviews of other media (e.g. films, TV series, books, etc.) that reference sexual and/or explicit themes
✅ Adult-themed fiction containing conventional/mainstream sexual content and themes
✅ Non-explicit audio content (e.g. relating to voice acting roleplay harmless stimulation such as whispering)
❌ Adult-themed fiction containing taboo sexual content (e.g. underage, consensual non-consent, bestiality, etc.)
❌ ASMR and voice acting relating to pornographic scenarios or prohibited fetish areas

Violence, wounds and injuries

Content warning: some of the examples provided are explicit in their detail.

Visual content
✅ Moderate fictional violence and gore
✅ Results of medical operations or accidental wounds
✅ Results of violence or injury sustained as a victim of an attack or accident
✅ SFX makeup effects
✅ Footage/images of violence or abuse shown to raise awareness or to educate (e.g. news journalism, historical footage, documentaries, animal charity content)
❌ Excessively graphic fictional depictions of violence/gore/abuse such as torture
❌ Sexual violence such as rape, whether real or fictional
❌ Real footage/images of violent acts, torture, or death provided as entertainment and/or for financial gain. Includes seemingly real content such as snuff footage content
❌ Real torture footage/images regardless of intent or context
❌ Graphic and/or instructional depictions of self-harm or suicide
❌ Illegal content (e.g. violence associated with child sexual abuse material; hateful content that glorifies, promotes, or incites violence and prejudice toward an individual or group; committing and circulating an act of assault or murder; terrorist propaganda)
❌ Content related to streaming all games forbidden by major streaming platforms (e.g. Twitch)

Non-visual content
✅ Fictional written or audio violence and gore (e.g. a horror or war book)
✅ Discussion pieces, analyses, or reviews of other media (e.g. films, TV series, books, etc.) that reference violent themes
✅ Graphic personal stories of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect
❌ Illegal content (e.g. violence associated with child sexual abuse material; hateful content that glorifies, promotes, or incites violence and prejudice toward an individual or group; committing and circulating an act of assault or murder; terrorist propaganda)
❌ Audio re-enactments or gratuitous fictional descriptions of sexual violence or torture
❌ Detailed written or audio accounts or instructions for suicide, self-harm

Language

Profanity
✅ Frequent use of strong profanity (e.g. c**t, f**k) in content means that your page must be tagged as NSFW.

For lighter profanity, regardless of frequency, (e.g. sh*t), your page doesn’t need to be tagged.

Hate speech
❌ Hate speech, harassment, intimidation, or abuse targeting any individual, group, or institution is prohibited.

See our main content guidelines for our full hate speech policy.

Harmful misinformation
❌ Harmful misinformation, such as denial of the Holocaust and other genocidal events, is prohibited.

See our main content guidelines for more details and examples.

Drugs and Alcohol

Drugs
✅ Content that glorifies or promotes cigarettes, vapes or marijuana
✅ Real-life content that features the use of cigarettes, vapes or marijuana
✅ Fictional content (e.g. artwork, a movie scene) depicting legal or illegal recreational drugs or prescription drug misuse
✅ Discussion about the use of either legal or illegal recreational drugs or prescription misuse
❌ Content that instructs people on how to obtain or administer drugs and psychoactive substances
❌ Content that glorifies, promotes, or instructs on illegal recreational drug use or prescription drug misuse
❌ Real-life content that features the use of illegal recreational drugs or prescription drug misuse
❌ Real-life content that is either explicit or in which the person is incapacitated or in danger/at risk of harm as a result of drugs

Alcohol
✅ Content that glorifies, promotes, discusses, or depicts alcohol/alcohol use
❌ Promotion of dangerous drinking games/challenges
❌ Real-life content that is either explicit or in which the person is incapacitated or in danger/at risk of harm as a result of intoxication

If anything still isn’t clear or you have a question about something that we haven’t covered, please get in touch.

How to tag your page as NSFW

Log in to your Ko-fi account, go to Settings, and scroll down to the ‘What do you do?’ field where you can add ‘NSFW’ as a tag.

What happens when I apply the NSFW Tag?

When you tag your page as NSFW, a pop-up notification will warn visitors to your page that the content on your page may not be safe for work and that they must be 18 or older to view the page. Visitors will need to click ‘Agree and continue’ before they can view your page.

What happens if I don’t apply the NSFW Tag?

As minors might encounter your page, it’s important to try and remember to do this if applicable to you. If your page is NSFW and you have not applied the NSFW tag, we may proactively apply this to your page or ask you to apply it.

Although we don’t unpublish pages solely because they haven’t been tagged as NSFW, we may unpublish such untagged pages that also contain or in some cases are connected to outright prohibited content/activity.

Once the tag has been applied, you should continue to use it as long as NSFW content is on or linked to your Ko-fi page.