TikTok accused of helping to promote sex industry to girls
Researchers say popular performers covertly market OnlyFans content and tell followers about wealthy lifestyle TikTok is helping to promote and normalise the sex industry, allowing “sexfluencers” to post videos aimed at marketing pornographic content they have uploaded elsewhere on sites such as OnlyFans, a report indicates. After studying non-explicit content posted on TikTok over the course of…
A new report accuses TikTok of helping to promote the sex industry to young girls. Researchers examined posts by popular OnlyFans female performers on TikTok over a year. The report found that performers covertly market OnlyFans content by hiding references to adult material in seemingly innocent lifestyle videos. Performers used euphemisms, emojis, and subtle gestures to indicate that their adult content was available for sale on other platforms like OnlyFans, despite TikTok's policy prohibiting sexual solicitation.
The study, conducted by Cease and Collective Shout, highlights how TikTok helps "sexfluencers" attract teenage followers and promote the idea that selling sexual services on OnlyFans leads to a glamorous lifestyle. TikTok and OnlyFans have been called out for enabling the sex industry to groom young women and girls, with critics calling for stricter regulations on content that promotes or is related to the sex industry.
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