A report says TikTok lets OnlyFans performers market adult content through everyday lifestyle videos that teenage girls follow, and parents may want to check in.
A new report says TikTok is helping popular OnlyFans performers advertise adult content through ordinary-looking videos. OnlyFans is a site where people sell adult material to paying subscribers. The researchers say teenage girls follow these performers in large numbers. TikTok says it strictly bans sexual content and has systems meant to keep age-inappropriate material away from teens.
Two campaign groups, Cease in the UK and Collective Shout in Australia, studied non-explicit TikTok posts over a year. The posts came from some of OnlyFans' most popular young female performers. The researchers also followed the videos TikTok's algorithm, the system that decides what to show you next, recommended to them.
They found hints buried in cheerful "girly lifestyle" videos about shopping, pets, baking and skincare. TikTok bans naming OnlyFans or linking to it. The report says performers get around this with euphemisms, emojis and crude gestures. One example is the word "corn" in place of "porn".
The report says many viral posts push the idea that selling sexual content brings freedom, friends and wealth. Videos show cash, big houses, private jets and expensive cars. Some present OnlyFans as a way out of poverty.
The numbers tell a different story for most people. OnlyFans' own data shows its top 5,000 creators have each made more than $1 million since 2016. But the site's 5 million registered performers earn an estimated $1,000 a year on average, according to the report.
Teen and young TikTok users and their parents are the main group. Brands that work with influencers are also in view. The report notes that L'Oréal appointed performer Ari Kytsya as a brand ambassador for Urban Decay, a makeup brand popular with teenagers. Her ads, viewed millions of times on TikTok, include a nod to adult work.
Households with no TikTok users can relax. The posts studied were not explicit, and the report does not say how many teens saw them. TikTok also says its systems are designed to keep age-inappropriate content from reaching teens.
The steps in the alert box above cover the basics. The most useful one is a calm conversation with your teen about who they follow and why. The box also points to TikTok's safety settings and the in-app report button.
The authors want the ban on showing explicit content to under-18s, which exists in many countries, widened to cover posts that promote or relate to the sex industry. That is a proposal, not a rule. It is not yet known whether TikTok will change how it handles these posts. OnlyFans says it is for adults only and has strict sign-up checks to keep minors out.
Talk with your teen about the creators they follow and the gap between viral money claims and the roughly $1,000 a year most performers earn.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
Read more: Mississippi sheriff warns residents about scam phone callsScammers are posing as Texas sheriff's officers and claiming you missed jury duty. Caller ID can show a real police number even when the call is fake.
Read more: Fake jury duty calls spoof a real Texas sheriff's phone numberFake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourself
