In April 2023, a 16-year-old girl from Florida went missing, leading her parents to discover that she had been sending explicit content to a man who later abducted her. The man, Ethan Diaz, was found with the girl in a rented house, where he had posted sexual videos and images of her on OnlyFans. OnlyFans claims to have strict measures in place to prevent child exploitation, but cases like this one raise doubts about their effectiveness.
Reuters documented 30 cases where child sexual abuse material appeared on OnlyFans between December 2019 and June 2024, involving explicit videos and images of minors, including toddlers. Some victims faced severe emotional distress as a result of their content being shared on the platform.
Despite claims of rigorous safety controls, child sexual abuse content continues to appear on OnlyFans, with cases involving adults preying on minors to create and sell explicit content, as well as minors selling their own material. Investigations are hindered by the platform’s paywall and limited search capabilities.
OnlyFans, a platform known for making porn safer and more profitable, has faced criticism for its role in enabling child exploitation. While the company claims to report suspected cases of abuse and work closely with law enforcement, concerns remain about the presence of such content on the site. Legislation may be needed to hold platforms like OnlyFans more accountable for protecting children online.
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