How to stop graphic videos from autoplaying on social media
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Graphic video of conservative activist Charlie Kirk being shot and killed during a debate on Wednesday is circulating through social media platforms, sometimes shocking unsuspecting users.
Yes, but: Social media users don't have to see graphic content without a warning – they can turn it off on most major platforms.
Here's how to turn off auto-play options and limit adult content on X, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Facebook.
How to disable autoplay on X
On iOS and Android, tap your profile picture and open the "Settings and privacy" tab.
- You'll then click on "Accessibility, display, and languages."
- From there, tap "Accessibility," and look for the tab that says "Motion."
- Click "Video autoplay," and toggle the setting to "Never."
Axios was unable to access the content warning settings on X via the app on Apple devices, but could change it when going through the platform's app website.
How to limit sensitive topics on TikTok
To limit the amount of sensitive content on your TikTok feed, navigate to your user profile and click on the three lines in the top right corner of your screen, opening "Settings and privacy."
- From there, scroll down to the "Content & Display" section, and click on "Content preferences."
- Select "Restricted Mode," and turn it on. This will "limit content that may not be comfortable for all audiences." You can turn this setting on and off at any time.
TikTok's sprawling algorithm-based platform doesn't allow users to completely turn off auto-play, but there are a few things you can do to reduce your exposure to unwanted videos.
- Click on "Settings and privacy," and then scroll down to the "Cache & Cellular" heading.
- Next, choose "Data Saver." Toggle this on so that videos take longer to load, giving you more time to decide if you want to view the content.
How to disable graphic content on Instagram
To manage sensitive content on Instagram, go to your profile and click on the three lines in the top right corner, opening the "Settings and activity" tab.
- Scroll down the menu to "What you see," and select "Content preferences."
- From there, tap on the "Sensitive content" section, and choose whether you want to see "More," "Standard," or "Less sensitive" content.
Like TikTok, Instagram doesn't allow users to completely disable autoplay settings for users, but there are steps users can take to limit unwanted content.
- Open the "Settings and activity" tab and scroll down to the "Your app and media" tab.
- From there, click on "Media quality" and toggle the "Use less cellular data" tab off.
- This will make it take longer for photos and videos to load.
When a user first opens the app, the videos on Instagram are silent until the user unmutes them, and then sound will continue playing in every video thereafter.
- To decrease exposure, turn off sound when moving from one thread of videos to the next.
How to disable autoplay on Bluesky
Open up the app's homepage and click on the three lines in the upper left-hand corner.
- Click on "Settings," and then click on "Content and media." From there, you'll want to toggle "Autoplay videos and GIFs" off.
Adult content controls can only be modified via the web, at bsky.app.
- Once on the web, open "Settings" and click on "Moderation."
- From there, you'll want to scroll down to "Content filters," and toggle the "Enable adult content" button off.
How to disable autoplay on Facebook
You can turn off video and animations on Facebook anytime by navigating to "Settings & privacy."
- From there, scroll down to "Preferences" and then click "Media."
- Scroll to "Autoplay," and then select "Never Autoplay Videos."
You can also adjust your sensitive content settings under the "Preferences" section in settings.
- Click on "Content preferences," and then "Sensitive content." Toggle the button that says "Show less" on.
