Online sex workers growing in popularity on young people’s social media algorithms

ABC NEWS (Australia)

They're some of the more surprising social media influencers. A new wave of online sex workers are growing in popularity on young people's algorithms and their glamourous content is prompting some teenagers to explore explicit online careers when they're very young.

Transcript

00:00When I was around 17 was kind of the decision maker if I was going to step into that side of social media and the side of everything.

00:10Bops, mattress actresses or spicy content creators, welcome to the digital age of sex work.

00:20Where a new generation of young people, including Tahalia Rowe, are seeing the industry in a different light.

00:28At 18, she joined OnlyFans to make money from her sexualized content.

00:36Like most others on the site, what Tahalia shares is explicit and it's cross promoted to her 84,000 fans on TikTok.

00:46I think I was very influenced by a lot of other creators that were already doing it.

00:53The price tag didn't really matter to me. I kind of just wanted to be seen.

00:59With over 2 million followers online, Kayla Jade is one of Australia's most successful sexfluencers.

01:07She turned to sex work when she was 27 and is open about the downsides.

01:13Whether it's like judgement, relationships, career wise, you know, there's always something.

01:19Most of Kayla's followers are young women and girls, seeing her videos pop up on their social media feeds.

01:27To protect those young fans, Kayla no longer counts and shares the thousands of dollars that she can make in a single night.

01:36I was worried that a younger audience would see that and not necessarily know what I had to do to get that money.

01:42They would just think, oh, she makes so much money on OnlyFans or so much money as a sex worker, I should do that too.

01:48So, yeah, I just, I just felt a bit icky about it.

01:52That influence is something Tahalia Rowe remembers well when she got her first social media account at 10.

01:59Online sex work has helped her with her mental health and confidence, but she's seen others severely impacted by it.

02:07Please make sure you're mentally prepared for it because any backlash you get will affect your mental health.

02:14It's yet to be seen the impact the federal government's social media ban for under 16s will have on curbing potentially harmful content online.

02:24But for even 16 and 17 year olds who are engrossed in the online world, detangling the lure of the sexfluencer isn't straightforward.

02:34When we see really lavish lifestyles, you know, there's that comparison that the viewer has to, you know, the life that they live.

02:41A lot of it can come, there can be thoughts of like discontent in their own lives, right?

02:46Kayla credits the work for giving her financial security and time with her children.

02:54But she's also quick to draw a line when it comes to protecting kids like her own online.

03:01Even though a lot of people aren't for it, like I'm all for the social media ban for young people.

03:07I think it's going to make their brains a lot more healthier.

03:10Safeguarding future harms in an online world.

03:14worldwide.

03:15koop. AFEG

03:32Oh, yeah.

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