In the last 24 hours, a growing number of subreddits have taken action to block links to X (formerly Twitter) in their communities. This movement appears to be gaining significant traction across Reddit, with hundreds more subreddits actively debating or considering a similar ban.
Engadget has identified more than two dozen subreddits, collectively representing millions of users, that have already restricted the ability to post X content. High-profile examples include the r/formula1 subreddit (with nearly 5 million members) and smaller communities like r/ultraman (30,000 members).
The wave of bans seems to have originated, at least in part, from r/newjersey, whose moderators banned X links earlier this week with the statement: “Fuck this guy. X links are now banned from r/newjersey.” Accompanying the post, which has received more than 65,000 upvotes, was a photo of Elon Musk extending his arm. Musk’s gestures during certain public appearances, including one at Donald Trump’s inauguration, have been celebrated by far-right extremists.
Shortly after the r/newjersey announcement, numerous other subreddits followed suit, either banning X links outright or restricting their use. Some prominent examples include:
The moderators of r/newjersey explained their decision in a statement to Engadget:
“We weren’t trying to start a trend, and we never expected to go viral. Not everyone will agree with our choice, but Reddit has always been a place where each community gets to decide these things individually. If our announcement has inspired discussions about the role social media is playing in our current times, we think that’s a good thing.”
The moderators of r/formula1 also cited practical reasons, such as X’s increasingly restrictive policies for viewing posts:
“There’s no doubt that over the past years Twitter has become a low-quality source: the login requirements, the flood of bots, the prioritization of content from paying users, and the promotion of sensationalist content. But unlike with news sites in our source-rating system, for Twitter there wasn’t really an alternative.”
Instead, r/formula1 is encouraging users to share content from Bluesky, a platform that doesn’t require a login to view posts. The subreddit has also decided to allow “screenshots of relevant posts by teams, drivers & F1” when the same content isn’t available elsewhere.
Many other subreddits are actively polling their members or discussing similar bans. These include:
Subreddits like r/hockey (2.7 million members), r/georgia (237,000 members), and r/popheads (2.8 million members) have also started conversations about banning X links.
However, not all subreddits are on board with this movement. In r/chess, a moderator explained that banning X links would create logistical challenges for their community:
“The unfortunate reality is that Twitter is the source of a big portion of content on the subreddit. A ban would thus require some rule changes. We’re open to suggestions, but can’t promise anything at the moment.”
Similarly, a moderator of r/fauxmoi highlighted the importance of keeping links for verification purposes:
“We do prefer to still have the link so we can ensure that people are not submitting fake or doctored screenshots.”
This is not the first time Redditors have united in protest, but the widespread call to block a major social media source is notable. Whether this movement continues to spread or fizzles out remains to be seen, but it clearly reflects broader frustrations with X’s platform and policies.
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