For those just tuning in, lj's latest "Save the Children" efforts include a nifty little item that allows you to flag for adult content.

You can flag your own entries (or entire journal) as "Adult Concepts" or "Explicit Adult Content" (basically the equivalents of PG-13 and NC-17).

You can also flag other people's content! YAY!!! When flagging other people's content, you'll be given five options to describe the content: "Explicit Adult Content," "Offensive Content," "Hate Speech," "Illegal Activity," or "Nude Images of Minors." Basically, if an entry is flagged several times as "Explicit Adult Content" or "Offensive Content," it will be reviewed by the Abuse Prevention Team and, if it is determined that the post should be flagged, you'll be asked to flag it. The other three options will prompt the user to the Abuse Reporting System (as those three options violate TOS).

You can read all about it at this post in lj_biz. marta (who is responsible for answering our questions, apparently) says that she will try to do a summary or wrap-up on this with the most common questions. Or at least answer everyone who asks.

However, I'm compiling a few answers to important questions that I've found in the comments. All questions and answers are in my own words for the purpose of providing a summary. Links go to marta's answers.


Does this require users to enter a birth date?
The system will use the age provided in the profile (even if the age is hidden). If a DOB is not specified, a user will be prompted to enter a DOB the first time he/she views content with an adult setting.

How does this effect how lj is viewed?
Users who are logged in and over 18 will see your flagged entry exactly how you wrote it, regardless of your Adult Content setting. Logged in users under 18 and those viewing while logged out will see a system-generated lj-cut. When they click the cut—assuming they are of age—they will see your entry without the lj-cut.

When you click on a system-generated lj-cut, it takes you directly into the entry, skipping over possible important cut information the poster may have included (about the type of Adult/Explicit Content). Is this issue being addressed?
Answer Pending 1
Answer Pending 2

Will there be repercussions for not retroactively flagging your own adult content?
Answer 1: No, there's no repercussions at all. The Adult Concepts setting is completely optional and will never be set for you. The only flagged content under review is that of Explicit Adult Content.

Answer 2: Explicit Adult Content is the only setting that will be set administratively, and should only apply to content which could be considered NC-17. The Adult Concepts setting is a voluntary-only setting, defined by the person setting it.

What happens if someone flags your entire journal? Is there an appeal process?
A journal will not be reviewed until the number of flags reaches the threshold for review. If it is reviewed and over half of the public content is considered Explicit, the journal or community maintainer will receive correspondence about it.

Will a person receive a warning or notification if one of their posts has been flagged as Explicit?
An owner will not be contacted over an individual post.

What about people who abuse the flag—banning together to mass-flag posts?
Answer 1: Over-reporting can be determined by a number of ways including, whether or not the flag was accurately used, if several of the flags from that user are rejected, if one user reports another user repeatedly, etc.

Answer 2: Flags from known abusers of the system will not appear in the moderation queue and will not count towards the threshold for APT review. Also, an account must be registered for over a month in order to flag, and even then it's limited to five every twenty four hours.

Why is there no punishment for abusing the flags?
There is no effect on the person being flagged unless multiple people flag it. Even if the flags reach the threshold for review, there may be no effect on the flagged user.

Does having your entry flagged multiple times and it ending up being reviewed by Abuse Team mean that they will also review it for illegal and harmful content, possibly resulting in strikes?
It will only be reviewed for the reasons it was flagged. So, if an entry is flagged for Explicit Content, the only action would be whether or not the Explicit setting is placed on it.

Does changing to Explicit Adult Content settings on a community kick out under-18 users?
Users are not kicked out retroactively. If the user is under 18, he/she will see an lj-cut and be unable to view the content, but will not be removed from the community. However, from here forward, accounts registered with a DOB making the user under 18 will not be able to join Explicit communities.

Are under-18 users able to post Explicit content in their own journals?
Yes, the author will always be able to see his/her own content, regardless of settings.


I only went through the first page of comments, but if people find other answers to questions that should appear here, please feel free to let me know. I don't mind being a comprehensive hub.