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Not safe for work (NSFW), also known asnot suitable for work, isInternet slang orshorthand used to mark links to content, videos, orwebpages the viewer may not wish to be seen viewing in a public, formal, or controlled environment.[1][2] The marked content may containgraphic violence,pornography,profanity,nudity,slurs, or other potentially disturbing subject matter. Environments that may be problematic includeworkplaces,schools, andfamily settings.[3][4] NSFW has particular relevance for people trying to make personal use of theInternet at workplaces or schools that have policies prohibiting access to sexual and graphic subject matter.[5] Conversely,safe for work (SFW) is used for links that do not contain such material,[6] especially where the title might otherwise lead people to think that the content is NSFW.[7]
The similar expressionnot safe for life (NSFL) is also used,[8][9][10] referring to content which is so nauseating or disturbing that it might beemotionally scarring to view. Links marked NSFL may containmurder,gore, or certainfetish pornography.[11]
Some platforms, such asReddit,Twitter,Patreon, orDeviantArt have long offered users the option to designate their content as NSFW, in order to warn others of its explicit nature before they access it, as well as to algorithmically separate it from SFW content.[12]
It has been speculated that the term evolved from an earlier form originating onmessage boards,not for British school kids (NFBSK), which appears online as early as the year 2000.[2] "NSFW" itself has been used in online communities since the early 2000s, with a definition being posted toUrban Dictionary in 2003.[2] In 2009, it was suggested thata future version of HTML could include "NSFW" as a standardized tag for adult material on websites that could be automatically hidden depending on user settings.[13]
By 2011, the term was common enough to be added toOxford Dictionaries Online,[14] withMerriam-Webster adding the abbreviation to its dictionary in 2015.[15][16] TheOxford English Dictionary added the term in 2016, citing earliest evidence of usage from 2002.[17]
The dictionary definition ofnot safe for work at Wiktionary
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