The online platform OnlyFans, which deals heavily in adult content, is reportedly hosting users that are creating child pornography as investigators uncover child abuse images with OnlyFans watermarks produced in recent months that are circling the internet and are easy to find.
According to the BBC, a senior US investigator told the outlet that, of the victims, "The youngest was around five years old" and that whatever methodology OnlyFans is using to catch child pornographers and pedophiles, "there's still cracks that it's still slipping through."
The agent whose specialty is investigating online pedophile rings said that the children mostly appear to be pre-pubescent and between the ages of 5 and 12.
The CEO of OnlyFans, Amrapali Gan, said in response, "We actively work with law enforcement. If anyone makes the mistake thinking they can upload illegal content, we will report them."
"We're truly the safest and most inclusive social media platform," she added.
The BBC reports that, after an investigation last year, child sexual abuse material was appearing and being sold on OnlyFans. The US agent reportedly told the outlet that it only took an hour to find ten images of child pornography circulating the internet that originated at OnlyFans, all of which had been created in the last six months.
Accounts posting the abusive material were given multiple warnings in many instances rather than being reported or outright banned according to documents obtained by the BBC.
The UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said they too have received reports of children being abused through OnlyFans accounts.
Hannah Ruschen from the NSPCC said, "Children are not only consuming content on OnlyFans, but also are able to produce content."
The BBC also reported last year on children selling sexually explicit videos of themselves on OnlyFans.
A mother had reached out to NSPCC's Childline counseling service to say she had found images of her 10-year-old daughter were uploaded to OnlyFans.
OnlyFans responded to the BBC by asking who their source was, seeking details on the US agent. "The BBC refused to provide any details or evidence preventing OnlyFans from investigating this claim," a representative for OnlyFans said, claiming they have taken action anyway.
The chief strategy officer for OnlyFans, Keily Blair, said, "We've invested significantly in improving our age and identity verification tools" and asserted that there is not a large quantity of illegal content on their site, just some.
In August of last year, the company, which grossed a massive $12.5 billion in 2021 and has over 130 million users, said it was going to ban "sexually-explicit" content.
The ban was reversed within a week after complaints from content creators and customers who disproportionately use OnlyFans for pornography.
