NOTE: This guide was written for Mastodon 4.0.

Introduction

Content warnings are a way of alerting a reader to potentially distressing content. It is a way of creating consent by giving the user the choice of explicitly opting in or not to see specific forms of content.

Examples of content warnings: medical trauma, abuse, car accidents, suicidal ideation, nudity, etc.

When using content warnings, it is best to stick to general topical areas versus giving details, because the details themselves can be triggering. And because Mastodon has an explicit way of dealing with content warnings, you can leave off the letters ‘CW’ if you want to.

The instructions for mobile and desktop are the same, which is why there is only one set of screenshots.

In this guide, we will teach you how to:

  • adjust your sensitive content settings
  • add a CW
  • how to correct a missing CW

User Settings

There are settings that users can change for how to handle sensitive content for their account. These can be found under Preferences –> Appearance.

The first set of options pertains to displaying media. There are three options: hide media marked as sensitive, always show media, or always hide media. For media that you elect to have hidden, you can elect to have it shown as a colorful gradient (see screenshots below for what that looks like).

You can also choose to always expand posts marked with content warnings.

If you make any changes to your settings, be sure to save the changes.

User settings for handling sensitive content. The options for media display appear first with three radio buttons, then the two checkboxes for showing gradients for hidden media and for always expanding content warned toots appear next. The save changes button is at the bottom.

Text-Only Instructions

How to Add a CW

Step 1. Click ‘CW’ below the toot textbox.

Step 2. This will bring up an additional textbox above the toot for you to write in the content warning. You will also notice that ‘CW’ below the toot textbox is highlighted in purple.

Step 3. Write in the content warning, draft up a toot, and then click the Publish button. All the user will see on their end is the content warning and then a place where they can click to ‘show more.’ If there is no attached image, this is what it will look like. If there is an attached image, there will be a blurred out image shown to the user in addition to the above elements.

Now the only way a user can see the content is if they click ‘show more.’ And if a user clicked on it and they didn’t want to see it, they can click ‘show less’ to hide it again or quickly scroll away (scrolling away is probably the better option so you don’t have to look back at the screen to see where to click ‘show less.’)

How to Correct a Missing CW

Step 1. Navigate to the toot with the missing CW, click the three dots in the lower right hand corner, then click Edit.

Step 2. The toot will open up on the left hand of the screen, allowing you to edit it and add a CW. Follow the instructions above on How to Add a CW and then click ‘Save Changes.’

Text + Screenshots Instructions

How to Add a CW

Step 1. Click ‘CW’ below the toot textbox.

A textbox for the toot with the various tools below it, including adding an attachment, running a poll, selecting audience scope, adding a content warning, and changing the language. The Publish button is below the textbox.

Step 2. This will bring up an additional textbox above the toot for you to write in the content warning. You will also notice that ‘CW’ below the toot textbox is highlighted in purple.

The same textbox as before, except a textbox has been added above it for the content warning and the letters CW are highlighted in purple.

Step 3. Write in the content warning, draft up a toot, and then click the Publish button. All the user will see on their end is the content warning and then a place where they can click to ‘show more.’

If the content warned toot does not have an accompanying image, this is what it will look like on both mobile and desktop:

An example of what a content warned, text-only toot looks like. There is the content warning and the option to ‘show more’ that the user can click on the right hand side. The body of the toot is hidden.

If it does have an image, it will look like this (with gradient setting enacted according to the instructions above in the User Settings section):

An example of what a content warned, attached image toot looks like. There is the content warning and the option to ‘show more’ that the user can click on the right hand side. The body of the toot including the image is hidden. The image appears as a smoothed gradient of colors.

Now the only way a user can see the content is if they click ‘show more.’ And if a user clicked on it and they didn’t want to see it, they can click ‘show less’ to hide it again or quickly scroll away (scrolling away is probably the better option so you don’t have to look back at the screen to see where to click ‘show less.’)

An expanded version of a content warned text-only toot that shows the content warning, the option to ‘show less’ on the right hand side, and the body of the toot.

How to Correct a Missing CW

Step 1. Navigate to the toot with the missing CW, click the three dots in the lower right hand corner, then click Edit.

Step 2. The toot will open up on the left hand of the screen, allowing you to edit it and add a CW. Follow the instructions above on How to Add a CW and then click ‘Save Changes.’

On the left hand side is the toot which you can edit and add a CW to. On the right hand side is the original toot with the missing CW.