What Every Parent Should Know About OnlyFans

As a parent, staying up-to-date on the latest trends and platforms your children might use is crucial. The OnlyFans social media platform has been around for several years and allows users to share and create content. While the platform targets adults, the number of children and teenagers is growing. Here’s what every parent should know about OnlyFans.

What Is OnlyFans?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you have likely at least heard about OnlyFans. Essentially, it began life as a platform similar to Patreon, where content creators could gain subscribers who genuinely enjoyed their product and then charge a small fee for access. However, the service quickly earned a reputation for showcasing adult material. Nowadays, lots of people will find girls on OnlyFans that they enjoy, and they will subscribe to access their videos and even private services. While the platform has evolved from its earlier incarnation to what it is today, it remains as popular as ever, with both performers and subscribers looking for a more intimate version of pornography. However, many parents have questioned whether it is safe for their children. 

Is It Purely Sexual Content?

The answer to this question is a bit more complex than first meets the eye. When you mention OnlyFans, most people immediately believe it to be 100% pornography. However, this is not entirely true. While it mainly caters to this type of content, it still has content creators pushing out videos and services related to a wide range of subjects, from fitness to cooking. In fact, in 2021, OnlyFans banned their users from posting pornography-related content. At first, Tim Stokely, the company’s founder, and CEO blamed the ban on banks. The company reversed its policy change in response to the immediate and overwhelming backlash. The backtracking indicated that the platform now focuses primarily on adult performers, making it unsuitable for children. 

Is It Like TikTok Or Snap?

Although it is often referred to as social media, it is entirely different from the likes of Snap, Tik Tok and Facebook. These social media platforms tend to have strict guidelines related to what is and isn’t allowed, and porn is most certainly on the banned list of content. Moreover, OnlyFans allows its content creators to charge a subscription fee (in addition to other payments for private content, etc.). In contrast, most other social media platforms are free. Therefore, children are far less likely to be exposed to pornographic material than if they used OnlyFans. 

Can Kids Use The Platform?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that it is open to anyone over 18 years old, and you must submit your credit card information to take advantage of the content, free or paid. It may seem like this is a barrier to kids, but a quick glance at the payment methods they accept reveals a flaw. Credit cards can be replaced by prepaid Visa cards enabling children to access all of the material. However, the credit card requirement usually prevents children under 18 from signing up.

Conversely, if you are concerned about your child becoming a content creator, the approval process is much more rigorous. This is because OnlyFans dearly wants to avoid any scandals involving underage performers. In order to receive payment as a creator, you must connect a bank account. Then, you must confirm your age using a third-party verification tool (your face must match the ID you provide, which is also limited to options like a passport and driving license). In most cases, these steps are enough to dissuade any but the most determined children from signing up. It is undoubtedly possible to sidestep some of these steps, but it is unlikely. There are some steps you can take if you want to discourage your kids from using the services.

How To Stop Your Children From Using OnlyFans

In many ways, the steps you take to prevent your children from accessing this site are the same as those you take to prevent them from accessing other sites you want to restrict access to.

• Have a conversation with them: If they are at an appropriate age, discuss why you don’t want them to use it.
• Lay down the law: You are their parent or guardian, so you should act like it. If they are underage and living under your roof, you can forbid them from accessing it. Despite this, you must maintain a delicate balance to not push them too far into curiosity.
• Use a website blocker: Blockers should only be used as a last repost because most kids are far more tech-savvy than you think and will find ways to circumnavigate these blocks. Nevertheless, they are a great tool to stop them from accidentally falling into these kinds of websites.

OnlyFans allows photographers and other artists to sell their original work online and has enabled plenty of people to leave their nine-to-five jobs and earn a great living doing what they love. However, it is also primarily aimed at those over 18 of age. Hopefully, this post has enlightened you on what OnlyFans is and how you can prevent your children from accessing it.