What is Tumblr Safe Mode? Explanation
Tumblr Safe Mode
Tumblr Safe Mode: Tumblr is a great place to get your daily fix of cool GIFs and memes. But, the amount of NSFW content on that site has risen dramatically over recent years, so it’s not surprising to see certain blogs — adult-related, for example — restricted with a Safe Mode warning. Unless you haven’t turned 18, there’s practically no reason why you should have the Safe Mode turned on, so let’s see how we can disable it. But, what if you don’t have an account, nor have any intention of creating one? Don’t worry. We are going to be talking about a way to get around that as well.
Although it’s not as mainstream as Facebook or Twitter, the social network Tumblr is popular — particularly among younger generations — as a place to share and explore artwork, music, and ideas. It’s also a place to find some more … salacious material. The seedy underbelly of Tumblr is home to various blogs and pieces of art that could be called “adult,” and while Tumblr has gained a lot of notoriety for its adult content, new users won’t necessarily find it right off the bat. If you’ve recently created a Tumblr account, your account will, by default, have “Safe Search” turned on, keeping innocent eyes away from naughty blogs.
What is Tumblr Safe Mode?
As the name implies, the Safe Mode in Tumblr restricts all the sensitive posts to appear on your dashboard. It means that you will not be able to see the sensitive content on your Tumblr dashboard if you have the Safe Mode on. Moreover, Tumblr does not allow its under 18 users to disable the Safe Mode in any way. However, many mature Tumblr users do not seem to like this feature and hence they want to disable it in order to enjoy everything on their dashboard. So let us have a look at how we can get this done.
Purpose Of Tumblr Safe Mode
Tumblr’s Safe Mode is an extension of the Safe Search function that’s been around for several years now. As its name suggests Safe Search filters sensitive content from search results. Safe Mode also filters sensitive content from your Dashboard, meaning you won’t see it at all ever.
With Safe Mode enabled you won’t see any content Tumblr has deemed to be sensitive in nature. Instead you’ll see a gray screen with a message informing you, “This post may contain sensitive media”. If you click View Post you can bypass this screen and see the content hidden beneath.
Tumblr is likely to face the usual claims of censorship. In practical terms it is censoring sensitive content, but only if the user opts in by choice. The exception are users under the age of 18, who will be opted in to using Safe Mode by default whether they like it or not. However, users can simply lie about their age when registering their account in order to circumvent this.
Viewing The World Through A Filter
As we intimated above, there’s a growing trend, especially amongst social networks, to offer sensitive users a way of navigating the web without being bombarded with NSFW material. It’s not how I’d choose to view the world personally, but offering that option can only be a good thing.
How To Turn Off Safe Mode On Tumblr
If you typically view Tumblr in your desktop browser, pull up the site and log in as you normally would.
- Once logged in, click the icon that resembles a person in the upper-right corner of your dashboard.
- From the drop-down menu, click Settings.
- Look for the field marked Filtering, with a button next to it labeled Safe Search. Click this button to disable Safe Search.
Disabling Safe Search On Your Mobile Device
If you prefer to browse Tumblr using your mobile device, the process for disabling Safe Search is just as simple.
- Launch the Tumblr app as you would normally.
- Select the humanoid icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner to access the Accounts menu.
- Select General Settings at the top of the resulting menu.
- Scroll down to Filtering, and tap it.
- You should now see a field labeled Safe Mode. If the button beside it is blue, that means Safe Mode is currently enabled. Tap the button to disable the feature.
Tumblr Turn On/Off Safe Mode
If you’re on the web or an Android device: Go to your account settings and flip the Safe Mode switch. If you’re on iOS: Go to your phone’s Settings app, tap “Tumblr,” and you’ll see the Safe Mode settings down at the bottom. (If you’re under 18: You’re not able to turn off Safe Mode until you’re older. You’ll just have to use your imagination.)
An equivalently minimal setting in Unix-like operating systems is single-user mode, in which daemons and the X Window System are not started, and only the root user can log in. It can do emergency repairs or maintenance, including resetting users’ passwords on the machine without the need to know the old one.
We’ve updated our Community Guidelines with some additional notes about being a good citizen of Tumblr. Check them out when you get a chance.
And don’t forget, we’ve got some other tools to help you ensure your time on Tumblr is safe and fun, namely blocking jerks and trolls and privacy controls for your blog. If you have questions about any of this, feel free to consult the help center.