What’s on the page: What is OnlyFans? What parents need to know

What is OnlyFans?: What is OnlyFans? What parents need to know

OnlyFans is an online platform and application created in 2016 where people can pay for content (photos and videos, live streams) through a monthly membership. The content is mainly created by YouTubers, fitness trainers, models, content creators, public figures, in order to monetize their profession.

What is the minimum age limit for OnlyFans?: What is OnlyFans? What parents need to know

According to OnlyFans policy, users must be 18 years or older.

What are the concerns raised about OnlyFans?: What is OnlyFans? What parents need to know

The Britain-based site has become increasingly popular with people who have been made unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also popular with sex workers.
A recent BBC documentary, # Nudes4Sale, investigated the rise of under-18s selling explicit content not only on OnlyFans, but also on Twitter and Snapchat Premium. The documentary found that up to a third of Twitter users who post explicit images with the hashtags “nudes4sale” or “buymynudes” are under the age of 18, according to an analysis of facial recognition technology.. It is concerning that a large number of underage creators use social media to sell nudes in exchange for money and gifts.

Twitter said it has: “Zero tolerance for any material that presents or promotes the sexual exploitation of children,” and requested “more information about the accounts found in the documentary that may have been linked to such content.”

Snapchat told the BBC : “We strictly prohibit accounts that promote or distribute pornographic content. We do not scan the content of private accounts, but we continually look for ways to find and delete these accounts, including discussions with other platforms such as Twitter. “

What does UK law say?

UK law states that you must be over 18 to sell or distribute explicit content. Additionally, there is currently no legal requirement for online platforms to monitor explicit content that could have originated from underage users. That is, the creator of the content and the person who buys it would face criminal liability if any action was taken.

New laws published in the Online Safety BillIn May, it says that companies fined £ 18 million or 10% of their global turnover if they don’t keep children safe on their platforms.

Does OnlyFans have any security measures?

In May 2019, OnlyFans introduced a new account verification process in which a Creator must now provide a ‘selfie’ along with their ID in the picture to prove their identity. However, based on our research and that of the BBC, underage users have used other people’s IDs and created an account with no problem, suggesting that the age verification is not strong enough.

In a statement to the BBC, OnlyFans said: “We constantly review our systems to make sure they are as robust as possible. If we are alerted to any underage person who has obtained or attempted to gain illegitimate access to the platform, we will always take immediate action to investigate and suspend the account. “

However, one particular case where a 17-year-old girl says she signed up at 16. Although it took her several tries to set up a profile after it was repeatedly reported and closed. He used an older friend’s ID, although they didn’t look alike, and managed to use OnlyFans for seven months using various profiles.

Recently, the site now requires users to pose next to an identification card and then submit a photograph holding it in front of their face.

Why do teens want an OnlyFans account?

There is a call for teens to join as an easy way to make money and some don’t need to be naked to make ‘easy money’ on the site. There is also the temptation that creators can earn up to £ 30,000 a month, but not knowing that this is a very small percentage of creators who actually make such an amount.

The recent VoiceBox OnlyFans report, commissioned by Parent Zone, looks at how young people use OnlyFans.

Ways to protect your child and what to watch out for

• Recent reports show that those under the age of 18 have obtained false identifications and have also used their relatives’ passports to open accounts.
• When registering, users must provide their bank details to receive payments through OnlyFans; however, reports show that payments can be made through alternative providers such as Cash App (money transfer via mobile). Make sure you have aparental lock or other disabled / enabled settings so your child does not have easy access to your bank accounts or to you.

Our recent sexting report, Look at Me, Teens, Sexting and Risks, revealed that between the ages of 14 and 15, a child is more than twice as likely to send an explicit image. So, it is important:

• Have frank conversations with them beforehand about sharing explicitly sexual content and the consequences of this, for example sexual predators, online grooming, blackmail, or even a police crime if they are perpetrators of ‘revenge porn’.
• Set privacy controls on your devices
• Filter and / or block sites or apps chosen with your broadband provider. If you have Sky, check out theSky Broadband Shield Protection How-to Guide – Designed to make the Internet a safer place for families.