OnlyFans Is Set To Ban Sexually Explicit Content From Its Service

Well… Sort of.

Popular adult content site OnlyFans is about to undergo a major change beginning October 1st. On that date, most of the sexually explicit content that the site and its content creators have become known for will no longer be allowed. Instead, it will focus more on content that will “help ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform.” Members will still be allowed to post nude photos, but they will have to fit within the parameters of a revised “Acceptable Use Policy.”

The move comes after mounting pressure from payment processors and banking partners for OnlyFans to clean up its act. This, despite the fact that the same content they’re about to ban was largely instrumental in helping OnlyFans move the needle. They were set to make $12.5 billion next year, as their user base soared to new heights thanks to the sex workers who made exclusive OnlyFans content.

The issue at play here is despite being an extremely valuable company, OnlyFans is struggling to find investors willing to pump funds into the site in order to influence growth. OnlyFans exploded in popularity over the last year largely in part due to the ongoing pandemic. Many people turned to the site as a means of generating income after losing their jobs or to supplement income from a reduction in hours. Now, these same people will be looking to reshuffle their resources again after the new policy takes effect in October.

According to a statement made to Motherboard:

“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.”

It’ll be interesting to see if the content creators that have made their living on OnlyFans will be able to bounce back, or if this ends up being a crushing blow to sex workers as they scramble to migrate their fanbase to another service.