Starting July 29, online retailer Etsy will ban the sale of most sex toys and content depicting sexual acts or genitals.
The indie retailer announced its adult nudity and sexual content policy yesterday, which states that it will ban the sale of sex toys that are insertable, “worn on the genitals,” or “designed for penetration by the genitals,” which covers pretty much the whole range: dildos, vibrators, rings, plugs, etc.
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BDSM wear and other “non-penetrable, non-penetrable adult toys and sexual accessories” are allowed as long as they follow Etsy’s adult content guidelines, which were updated yesterday: These items must be tagged as “adult,” can’t appear in public spaces on someone’s account like a user’s avatar or shop homepage, the first thumbnail must be “appropriate for a general audience,” and any depictions of genitalia or the product in use must be removed or censored.
Finally, pornography, including custom content, is not allowed on Etsy, which is defined as any media that displays explicit acts and is produced by pornography publishers such as: Playboy (including vintage items) that are described as pornographic in the title, description, tags, or images. Photos or graphic images of explicit acts, genitalia, or anus are also not allowed. As stated in the Adult Content Policy, photos or graphic depictions of buttocks or nipples are allowed “as long as these body parts are obscured in the initial listing.”
When it comes to pictorially unrealistic content, full nudity and sexual acts “without visible genitals or anus” are permitted, but unrealistic images of explicit acts are not.
Etsy also prohibits nudity on human models, including “buttock cleavage and female nipples/areola.” For example, if you’re selling sexy clothing, you’ll need to censor body parts, use mannequins, or photograph only the clothing.
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Additionally, Etsy prohibits the sale or advertising of sexual services or “fetish items,” such as photos of worn underwear or feet. It also prohibits depictions of non-consensual sex acts or illegal activities, such as incest.
“Sexual language” related to incest or words that “reference family relationships” will also now be banned. Examples Etsy gives include “daddy’s slut” and “choke me, mom.” As of the publication of this article, these terms are still searchable on Etsy, as is nude content; searching for “porn” returns no results.
“Etsy has long had policies prohibiting certain adult content and providing guidelines for appropriate listings for adult items. Today we are building on this foundation by updating our standards and introducing stricter guidelines,” Alice Wu Paulus, Etsy’s vice president of trust and safety, wrote in a post on the site’s forums titled “Strengthening Our Commitment to Adult Content on Etsy.”
Wu Paulus went on to say that Etsy will begin implementing these changes and removing non-compliant listings starting July 29. Etsy will also be reaching out to sellers who may need to update their listings in the coming weeks. The vice president ended the post by saying that these efforts are “to keep Etsy and our community safe.”
The move adds to an ongoing crackdown on online sexual content and the people who post and sell it that has culminated in recent years. For example, such content is banned by most major social media platforms (except X), credit card companies and financial apps often ban people in the sex industry, and on the legislative side, an increasing number of states are enacting (probably ineffective) age verification laws for adult content.
Etsy declined to comment beyond Wu Paulus’ post.
Updated: June 28, 2024 3:44 PM EDT Mashable has updated this article to include a response from Etsy.
