Adult content creators are people who make and sell sexual or intimate photos, videos, and messages, usually on subscription websites such as OnlyFans. In 2024, fans paid about $7.2 billion on OnlyFans, and the company reported 4.6 million creator accounts and 377.5 million fan accounts [1]. An account is not the same as a person, so these numbers do not tell us how many people actually earn a living this way.
This article explains, in plain English, why people enter the industry and what research says about their experiences. Most of the strongest studies are small interview studies, so we point out their limits as we go.
Short answer
- Why people join: Most creators describe the usual reasons for gig work (short, flexible, self-directed paid jobs): money, flexibility, and control. Researchers also found three extra pulls: the platform’s mainstream fame, its tools for boundaries and privacy, and the COVID-19 pandemic [2].
- Motives differ by person and place: In one study of 43 creators, 24 had done sex work before and 19 had not [3]. A South African researcher found creators were mostly young people chasing a better lifestyle, not just surviving [4]. Journalists in Kenya and Nigeria report both economic pressure and a wish for creative freedom [5, 6].
- Money is very unequal: The platform pays out billions, but the average hides huge gaps, and most creators do not earn a lot [1, 3, 4].
- Experiences are mixed: Studies find real benefits (control, financial gains, physical safety) and real costs (harassment, leaked content, sudden bans, stigma) [3, 7].
- Mental health evidence is mixed and incomplete: One matched study found performers reported higher self-esteem than other women [8]. Reviews of sex workers more broadly find more depression and PTSD, linked mainly to stigma, violence, and criminal laws rather than to the work itself [9].
- Coercion is real in some settings: Japan passed a law in 2022 to protect people pressured into appearing in adult videos [10].
Who we are talking about
Researchers often classify selling sexual content as a form of sex work, meaning the exchange of erotic services or content for money [3]. Not every creator agrees with that label. In South Africa, creators in one study separated themselves from sex work because they did not sell physical contact [4].
On OnlyFans, every user must confirm they are over 18, and creators go through extra identity checks [3]. Creators keep 80% of what fans pay [3].
Why people enter the industry
A US interview study of 22 OnlyFans creators, many of them new to sexual content, found several reasons [2]:
- Typical gig-work reasons: money, flexibility, and easy access to the work [2].
- Platform design: creators could set boundaries with fans, keep privacy from the public, and keep archives of their content [2]. Some preferred it to other gig jobs because there are no star ratings of creators, it is easy to block rude customers, and they control what they make [2].
- Visibility and acceptance: celebrity hype and the platform’s carefully managed public image made it feel less stigmatised [2]. (Stigma means social shame or disapproval attached to a group.)
- The pandemic: OnlyFans gave people a way to deal with problems caused by lockdowns [2].
Experienced sex workers moved online too. A study of 34 sex workers who switched to online-only work during the pandemic found benefits for their financial and physical wellbeing [7].
One limit matters for readers in Africa and Asia: the 43-creator study interviewed only people from the Global North, in English [3]. The 34-worker study also covered only the Global North [7]. That is why we look next at reports from other regions.
What we know from Africa and Asia
Research here is thinner and often comes from journalism or very small studies. Treat these examples as illustrations, not proof of what is typical.
- South Africa: Local trackers estimate 10,000 to 14,000 active creators [4]. A University of Cape Town researcher interviewed 17 of them. Most were under 35, with an average age of 25, and wanted to travel, pay for studies, and reach an aspirational lifestyle rather than escape extreme poverty [4]. She also said only 10% earn more than R100,000 a year, and many face blackmail from people who screenshot and share their content [4].
- Nigeria: A platform called AllAccessFans, built for African creators, launched in October 2023 [6]. One creator told Dazed she earned about 30 million naira in a year, a claim that is anonymous and unchecked [6]. Another said people wrongly assume creators grew up poor, and described her motive as creative freedom [6]. Creators also face leaks and public shaming, including a newspaper story that exposed their faces [6].
- Kenya: Young Kenyans sell intimate content through TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp [5]. Several people interviewed described it as a compromise made under economic pressure and a lack of jobs [5]. A counselling psychologist warned that the fear of leaks can cause constant anxiety and exhaustion, and said outcomes depend on coping skills, support, money pressure, and past trauma [5].
- Ghana: Researchers noted very little research on young people posting nude content online. A small study of two young women found motives that included money, attention, social recognition, and fun [11].
- Japan: The NGO Human Rights Now published a 2016 report on people forced to appear in adult videos [10]. In June 2022, Japan passed a law responding to the problem [10]. It lets performers cancel their contracts within a year of release, for any reason and without paying penalty fees [12].
What creators actually earn
The platform shared $5.8 billion with creators in 2024 [1]. Dividing that by 4.6 million accounts gives roughly $1,250 per account per year. This is our own arithmetic, and it is a poor guide to any one person because it includes inactive accounts and a few very high earners.
Self-reported figures show the spread. Among US creators who shared their lifetime income, amounts ranged from $135 to $332,000 [3]. In South Africa, only 10% earn more than R100,000 a year [4].
OnlyFans does not publish demographic data about its creators [3]. We found no published, peer-reviewed median income, so be careful with figures repeated online.
Earning money also takes unpaid work. OnlyFans has no built-in search, so creators must advertise on other social media sites [3]. Creators also carry the cost of chargebacks (when a fan disputes a payment with their bank and the money is taken back from the creator) [3].
What creators experience: benefits and costs
Benefits. Creators in the 43-person study used blocking to handle rude fans, and many drew support from online creator communities [3]. One said the only safe thing the platform offers is blocking [3]. The 34-worker study found online work improved financial and physical wellbeing [7].
Costs. In the 43-person study [3]:
- 29 people were most worried about platform risks, such as sudden bans of sexual content or accounts, and hidden limits on their reach (called shadowbanning).
- 26 described toxic content such as harassment and hate.
- 24 reported leaked or stolen content, which many saw as unavoidable.
- Many hid their faces, used fake names, or kept their personal and work accounts separate to avoid doxxing (publishing someone’s real name, address, or workplace to harm them).
The 34-worker study also found new and greater digital and mental health risks, because online work needs more public visibility and more explicit content [7]. Reports from South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya describe the same pattern of blackmail, leaks, and shaming [4, 5, 6].
What studies say about mental health
Two kinds of evidence exist, and they point in different directions.
A matched comparison. A 2013 study compared 177 female porn performers with women matched on age, ethnicity, and marital status (a “matched sample” is a comparison group chosen to look similar) [8]. The performers reported higher self-esteem, more positive feelings, more social support, and greater sexual satisfaction [8]. They were no more likely to report childhood sexual abuse, but were more likely to have tried 10 types of drugs [8].
This study has limits. Performers were reached through a clinic in Los Angeles, and the authors said the findings cannot be applied to all performers, since the internet changed how the industry works [13].
Reviews of sex workers more broadly. A 2026 mini-review in Frontiers in Public Health pulls together earlier research on sex workers of all kinds, not only online creators [9]. It reports that 19% to 88% of sex workers meet the criteria for depression, compared with 6.9% of women worldwide [9]. For PTSD (lasting distress after frightening events), the range is 29% to 75%, compared with about 5% [9].
The wide ranges show how uneven the studies are. The authors say these gaps are mainly linked to stigma, criminal laws, violence, and social exclusion rather than to sex work itself [9]. Control over working conditions and support from peers appear protective [9]. They also found that 79% of sex workers avoided mental health services after being treated with stigma [9].
How to read both. The groups, methods, and settings differ. The studies are mostly small and rely on self-reports [9]. No study we found measures the wellbeing of online creators with a large, representative sample.
Myths vs facts
| Claim | Verdict | What the evidence says |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone who creates adult content is poor and desperate | Myth | Motives vary. South African creators described aspiration, and a Nigerian creator named creative freedom [4, 6]. Some Kenyans described real economic pressure [5]. |
| Creators join mainly for money and flexibility | True | These were typical motives, alongside platform design, mainstream acceptance, and the pandemic [2]. |
| Most creators earn a lot | Myth | Incomes range widely, and only 10% of South African creators earn above R100,000 a year [3, 4]. |
| Online work is safe because there is no physical contact | Myth | Physical safety can improve, but digital risks such as leaks, doxxing, and harassment grow [3, 7]. |
| Leaks, harassment, and sudden bans are common | True | Reported by many creators in the US, South Africa, and Nigeria [3, 4, 6]. |
| Performers are “damaged goods” with more childhood abuse and worse mental health | Myth | One matched study found no extra childhood abuse and higher self-esteem, though it is dated and limited [8, 13]. |
| Sex work itself causes depression and PTSD | Unproven | Rates are higher, but researchers point to stigma, violence, and criminal laws, and the studies cannot prove cause [9]. |
| Coercion never happens | Myth | Japan passed a law in 2022 to protect people pressured into adult videos [10, 12]. |
| Every creator is forced or trafficked | Myth | Studies of creators describe people who chose the work [2, 4]. Interview studies may miss people in coercive situations, so harms still need attention. |
| The typical creator earns about $180 a month | Unproven | OnlyFans does not publish this kind of data [3], and we found no peer-reviewed source for the figure. |
Bottom line
People enter the adult content industry for many reasons: money and flexibility first, but also control, privacy tools, a less stigmatised platform, and in some places aspiration or economic pressure. The research shows real gains for some creators and real harms for others, especially leaks, harassment, platform bans, and stigma. On mental health the honest answer is “it depends”: the best evidence ties distress to stigma, violence, and criminal laws, and the work itself has not been shown to be the cause. Research from Africa and Asia is still thin, so more local studies are needed before anyone should speak for all creators.
Disclaimer: This article is for general education only and does not replace professional legal, financial, or mental health advice. If you notice an error or would like to send feedback or corrections, please contact us.
References
- [1] OnlyFans owner paid £522m in dividends as user numbers soar, RTÉ
- [2] Nudes? Shouldn’t I charge for these? Motivations of new sexual content creators on OnlyFans, arXiv
- [3] I feel physically safe but not politically safe: Understanding the digital threats and safety practices of OnlyFans creators, NSF Public Access Repository
- [4] Inside South Africa’s OnlyFans boom: Opportunity, risk and survival, EWN
- [5] From selling skin to selling souls: Inside Kenya’s underground ‘nude’ economy, The Standard
- [6] XXXconomy: Inside Nigeria’s adult content industry boom, Dazed
- [7] Risk, Resilience and Reward: Impacts of Shifting to Digital Sex Work, arXiv
- [8] Pornography actresses: an assessment of the damaged goods hypothesis, PubMed (Journal of Sex Research)
- [9] Risk and resilience in the red lights: a mini-review on sex worker lived experiences and mental health outcomes, Frontiers in Public Health
- [10] Forced Appearances in Adult Pornographic Videos (AV), Human Rights Now
- [11] Going to town with privacy: Exploring voyeurism and the motivations behind exposure of online secrets, TBU Publications
- [12] New Japan law aims to help people pressured into porn, The Malaysian Insight
- [13] Porn Stars Report Higher Self-Esteem, Spirituality, NBC News
