diff --git a/lib/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js b/lib/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
index 3daef0a360..13358e3aa0 100644
--- a/lib/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
+++ b/lib/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
-let styles = window.getComputedStyle(node);
+const whitelist = ['SCRIPT', 'HEAD', 'TITLE', 'NOSCRIPT', 'STYLE', 'TEMPLATE'];
+if (
+  !whitelist.includes(node.tagName.toUpperCase()) &&
+  axe.commons.dom.hasContent(virtualNode)
+) {
 
-let whitelist = ['SCRIPT', 'HEAD', 'TITLE', 'NOSCRIPT', 'STYLE', 'TEMPLATE'];
-if (!whitelist.includes(node.tagName.toUpperCase()) && axe.commons.dom.hasContent(virtualNode)) {
+  const styles = window.getComputedStyle(node);
   if (styles.getPropertyValue('display') === 'none') {
     return undefined;
   } else if (styles.getPropertyValue('visibility') === 'hidden') {
-    if (node.parentNode) {
-      var parentStyle = window.getComputedStyle(node.parentNode);
-    }
+    // Check if visibility isn't inherited
+    const parent = axe.commons.dom.getComposedParent(node);
+    const parentStyle = parent && window.getComputedStyle(parent);
     if (!parentStyle || parentStyle.getPropertyValue('visibility') !== 'hidden') {
       return undefined;
     }
diff --git a/lib/commons/dom/has-content.js b/lib/commons/dom/has-content.js
index 5581018d19..b70fee41dc 100644
--- a/lib/commons/dom/has-content.js
+++ b/lib/commons/dom/has-content.js
@@ -1,4 +1,17 @@
-/*global dom, aria, axe */
+/*global dom, aria */
+const hiddenTextElms = [
+  'HEAD', 'TITLE', 'TEMPLATE', 'SCRIPT','STYLE',
+  'IFRAME', 'OBJECT', 'VIDEO', 'AUDIO', 'NOSCRIPT'
+];
+
+function hasChildTextNodes (elm) {
+  if (!hiddenTextElms.includes(elm.actualNode.nodeName.toUpperCase())) {
+    return elm.children.some(({ actualNode }) => (
+      actualNode.nodeType === 3 && actualNode.nodeValue.trim()
+    ));
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Check that the element has visible content
  * in the form of either text, an aria-label or visual content such as image
@@ -6,22 +19,24 @@
  * @param {Object} virtual DOM node
  * @return boolean
  */
-dom.hasContent = function hasContent(elm) {
-  if (
-    elm.actualNode.textContent.trim() ||
+dom.hasContent = function hasContent (elm) {
+  /* global console */
+  console.log(
+    elm.actualNode,
+    hasChildTextNodes(elm),
+    dom.isVisualContent(elm.actualNode),
     aria.label(elm)
-  ) {
-    return true;
-  }
-
-  const contentElms = axe.utils.querySelectorAll(elm, '*');
-  for (let i = 0; i < contentElms.length; i++) {
-    if (
-      aria.label(contentElms[i]) ||
-      dom.isVisualContent(contentElms[i].actualNode)
-    ) {
-      return true;
-    }
-  }
-  return false;
+  );
+  return (
+    // It has text
+    hasChildTextNodes(elm) ||
+     // It is a graphical element
+    dom.isVisualContent(elm.actualNode) ||
+     // It has an ARIA label
+    !!aria.label(elm) ||
+    // or one of it's descendants does
+    elm.children.some(child => (
+      child.actualNode.nodeType === 1 && dom.hasContent(child)
+    ))
+  );
 };
diff --git a/lib/commons/dom/is-visible.js b/lib/commons/dom/is-visible.js
index 433fdc25b3..6318e2b8e8 100644
--- a/lib/commons/dom/is-visible.js
+++ b/lib/commons/dom/is-visible.js
@@ -64,11 +64,10 @@ dom.isVisible = function (el, screenReader, recursed) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	parent = dom.getComposedParent(el);
+	parent = (el.assignedSlot) ? el.assignedSlot : el.parentNode;
 	if (parent) {
 		return dom.isVisible(parent, screenReader, true);
 	}
 
 	return false;
-
 };
diff --git a/test/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js b/test/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
index 89c04d7070..22fde18476 100644
--- a/test/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
+++ b/test/checks/visibility/hidden-content.js
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+/* global xit */
 describe('hidden content', function () {
 	'use strict';
 
 	var fixture = document.getElementById('fixture');
-
+	var shadowSupport = document.body && typeof document.body.attachShadow === 'function';
 	var checkContext = {
 		_data: null,
 		data: function (d) {
@@ -48,6 +49,36 @@ describe('hidden content', function () {
 		var node = document.querySelector('head');
 		axe._tree = axe.utils.getFlattenedTree(document.documentElement);
 		var virtualNode = axe.utils.getNodeFromTree(axe._tree[0], node);
-		assert.isTrue(checks['hidden-content'].evaluate.call(checkContext, node, undefined, virtualNode));
+		assert.isTrue(checks['hidden-content'].evaluate(node, undefined, virtualNode));
+	});
+
+	(shadowSupport ? it : xit)('works on elements in a shadow DOM', function () {
+		/* global console */
+		fixture.innerHTML = '<div id="shadow"> <div id="content">text</div> </div>';
+		var shadowRoot = document.getElementById('shadow').attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
+		shadowRoot.innerHTML = '<div id="target" style="display:none">' +
+			'<slot></slot>' +
+		'</div>';
+		axe._tree = axe.utils.getFlattenedTree(fixture);
+		console.log(axe._tree);
+
+		var shadow = document.querySelector('#shadow');
+		var virtualShadow = axe.utils.getNodeFromTree(axe._tree[0], shadow);
+		console.log(virtualShadow, shadow);
+		assert.isTrue(
+			checks['hidden-content'].evaluate(shadow, undefined, virtualShadow)
+		);
+
+		var target = shadowRoot.querySelector('#target');
+		var virtualTarget = axe.utils.getNodeFromTree(axe._tree[0], target);
+		assert.isUndefined(
+			checks['hidden-content'].evaluate(target, undefined, virtualTarget)
+		);
+
+		var content = document.querySelector('#content');
+		var virtualContent = axe.utils.getNodeFromTree(axe._tree[0], content);
+		assert.isTrue(
+			checks['hidden-content'].evaluate(content, undefined, virtualContent)
+		);
 	});
 });
diff --git a/test/commons/dom/has-content.js b/test/commons/dom/has-content.js
index 6d9e20bcc9..315956bafd 100644
--- a/test/commons/dom/has-content.js
+++ b/test/commons/dom/has-content.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+/* global xit */
 describe('dom.hasContent', function () {
   'use strict';
   var hasContent = axe.commons.dom.hasContent;
   var fixture = document.getElementById('fixture');
+  var shadowSupport = document.body && typeof document.body.attachShadow === 'function';
   var tree;
 
   it('returns false if there is no content', function () {
@@ -51,4 +53,36 @@ describe('dom.hasContent', function () {
       hasContent(axe.utils.querySelectorAll(tree, '#target')[0])
     );
   });
+
+  it('is false if the element does not show text', function () {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<style id="target"> #foo { color: green } </style>';
+    tree = axe.utils.getFlattenedTree(fixture);
+    assert.isFalse(
+      hasContent(axe.utils.querySelectorAll(tree, '#target')[0])
+    );
+  });
+
+  (shadowSupport ? it : xit)('looks at content of shadow dom elements', function () {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<div id="target"></div>';
+    var shadow = fixture.querySelector('#target').attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
+    shadow.innerHTML = 'Some text';
+    tree = axe.utils.getFlattenedTree(fixture);
+
+    assert.isTrue(
+      hasContent(axe.utils.querySelectorAll(tree, '#target')[0])
+    );
+  });
+
+  (shadowSupport ? it : xit)('looks at the slots in a shadow tree', function () {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<div id="shadow">some text</div>';
+    var shadow = fixture.querySelector('#shadow').attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
+    shadow.innerHTML = '<div class="target"><slot></slot></div>';
+    tree = axe.utils.getFlattenedTree(fixture);
+    var node = axe.utils.querySelectorAll(tree, '.target');
+
+    axe.log(tree, node);
+    assert.isTrue(
+      hasContent(axe.utils.querySelectorAll(tree, '.target')[0])
+    );
+  });
 });