Content subscription service OnlyFans is expected to stop its support for sexually explicit content this fall.
Bloomberg reported that the company will stop allowing its users, specifically creators who offer subscriptions, to share such content from October forward. “In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and the continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines," said OnlyFans.
Back in June, it was reported that the company was seeking a valuation of over $1 billion as it looked to change its reputation from a website for pornography and other adult content. Advertisers had expressed concern regarding the prolificacy of sexually explicit content on the platform, which is unfortunately another reminder of how often sex work is stigmatized.
Additionally, many venture capital firms and investors are often prevented from investing in industries that include pornography, alcohol, or firearms due to concerns about tarnished reputations. This is all despite the fact OnlyFans brought in more than $2 billion in sales in 2020.
While the exact details as to what constitutes “sexually explicit content” remain unclear, the company has said creators can still post nude photos and videos if they’re “consistent” with the company’s policies. The news comes just days after the company rolled out a new app exclusively for its SFW content. Designed for phones, tablets, and smart TVs, the new app was soft-launched earlier this year but received a larger public push this week.
When reached for comment, a rep for OnlyFans shared the below statement.
Effective 1 October, 2021, OnlyFans will prohibit the posting of any content containing sexually-explicit conduct. In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.
Creators will continue to be allowed to post content containing nudity as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy. These changes are to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers. We will be sharing more details in the coming days and we will actively support and guide our creators through this change in content guidelines.
We remain dedicated to our community of 130 million users and over 2 million creators that have earned over $5 billion on our platform. OnlyFans remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform. All creators are verified prior to being able to upload any content to OnlyFans, and all uploaded content is checked by automated systems and human moderators.
As part of our commitment to safety and transparency, we are releasing our first Monthly Transparency Report for July 2021.
Many of the highest profile creators on OnlyFans specialize in sexual content. The news has already been heavily criticized on social media, but it remains to see how this move will impact the platform.
