Social media platform Twitter plans to implement a new system for world leaders who break its rules.

Rather than deleting the offending tweets, they will carry a warning label and appear less prominently in Twitter’s default search function, in users’ timelines, and in the notifications tab.

The company named no world leader in particular, but the warning label is bound to affect tweets from US President Donald Trump, who routinely posts content that violates Twitter's rules.

“There are certain cases where it may be in the public’s interest to have access to certain Tweets, even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules,” Twitter said in a statement.

“On the rare occasions when this happens, we'll place a notice – a screen you have to click or tap through before you see the Tweet – to provide additional context and clarity.

“We’ll also take steps to make sure the Tweet is not algorithmically elevated on our service, to strike the right balance between enabling free expression, fostering accountability, and reducing the potential harm caused by these Tweets.”

The new rules will only apply to politicians or those running for public office, who have also been verified by Twitter and have 100,000 followers or more.

What do you think of Twitter’s new rules? Should politicians have to play by the same rules as the rest of us, or is it important to see what they tweet?