Etsy has long been a popular platform for adult content creators (including myself) to share helpful tools and resources with other adult content creators. However, it seems like that may change in the future as their decision to ban mature content will make the platform non-adult-friendly.

Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade and vintage items, has announced a major policy change that will significantly restrict the sale of adult products on its platform. Starting July 29, 2024, Etsy will ban the sale of most sex toys and explicit content, as detailed in its newly published “Adult Nudity and Sexual Content policy.”

According to the updated policy, Etsy will prohibit the sale of adult toys that are insertable or applied to the genitalia. This includes items such as dildos, vibrators, rings, and plugs. The only exceptions will be non-insertable and non-penetrable adult toys and sexual accessories, such as BDSM wear, which will still be allowed, provided they comply with Etsy’s updated guidelines on mature content.

These guidelines stipulate that:

• Listings must be tagged as “mature.”
• Mature listings cannot appear in public places on the seller’s account, such as avatars or shop home pages.
• The first thumbnail image must be appropriate for general audiences.
• Depictions of genitalia or products in use must be removed or censored.

Etsy has also tightened its restrictions on pornographic content. The sale of media depicting explicit acts, including custom content, will be prohibited. This includes items from porn publishers like Playboy, even if they are vintage. Additionally, photos and photo-realistic pictures of explicit acts or genitalia are not allowed.

However, non-realistic content, such as drawings of total nudity and sex acts without visible genitalia or anuses, will still be permitted. Photos and realistic depictions of butts and nipples are allowed, provided these body parts are obscured in the first listing image.

The new policy also bans nudity for human models, including gluteal clefts and female nipples/areolas. Sellers of clothing items must either censor body parts, use mannequins, or photograph the clothing alone.

Moreover, Etsy will prohibit the sale and advertising of sexual services and fetishized items like worn underwear and feet pictures. Depictions of illegal acts, such as non-consensual sex and incest, will also be banned. The use of sexual language referencing familial relationships, such as “Daddy’s slut” and “Choke me Mommy,” will be prohibited as well.

Alice Wu Paulus, Etsy’s VP of trust and safety, stated in a forum post that Etsy has always had policies to regulate mature content but is now introducing more rigorous guidelines to enhance safety on the platform. Etsy will begin enforcing these changes on July 29 and will remove any non-compliant listings. The company will also communicate with sellers who need to update their listings in the coming weeks to ensure compliance.

This move by Etsy is part of a broader trend of cracking down on online sexual content and the people who sell it. Major social media platforms, credit card companies, and financial apps have increasingly banned adult content, and more states are enacting age-verification laws around adult content. These efforts reflect a growing push to regulate the availability of explicit material online.