What type of content does Tumblr's 'Safe Mode' filter by default?

Tumblr's Safe Mode filtered adult or otherwise sensitive content by default. The feature was designed to keep material labeled as mature or potentially unsafe out of search results, tag pages, and users' dashboards unless the setting was changed.

Tumblr introduced Safe Mode before its full adult-content ban, making it part of the platform's gradual shift toward stricter content controls. In February 2018, Safe Mode became enabled by default for all users on an opt-out basis. This meant that users could encounter filtered posts even when they had not manually activated the feature.

Safe Mode was not primarily a filter for violence, politics, spam, or general misinformation. Its central purpose was screening sexually explicit or sensitive material, although Tumblr's labeling systems could sometimes classify non-sexual artwork, anatomy studies, or LGBTQ-related content incorrectly. After Tumblr's December 2018 adult-content policy, the role and availability of Safe Mode changed substantially.