Boys vulnerable to sex industry predation; school girls sexualised in schoolie promos
OnlyFans is a subscriber-only social media platform predominantly used to sell pornographic content. It is a form of online prostitution in which many women are harmed, a site of rape, sex trafficking, image-based sexual abuse and child sexual abuse.
We have documented how the platform puts women at risk and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, with a growing number of young female content creators reporting degrading and violent requests, abusive and predatory treatment, as well as doxxing, non-consensual sharing of their videos and images, and stalking by male subscribers. We’ve also shared the account of former OnlyFans recruiter Victoria, who explained how she would approach young women and entice them to create pornographic content, and how she quit her job after witnessing what really happened to them.
It's true that many women are harmed, exploited, abused and traumatised on OnlyFans. It is also true that some individuals on OnlyFans are predatory and opportunistic, using a wide array of tactics to generate controversy to attract new subscribers.
Some promote their pornographic content to audiences that include children, either on Twitter/X or via billboards.
There is also a growing trend where creators produce content in public places, without the knowledge or consent of others inhabiting those spaces (e.g. at the gym).
More recently, a few OnlyFans pornographers have started preying on ‘barely legal’ teens at school leavers events, attempting to recruit teen boys to perform sex acts on video to be shared to their OnlyFans account.
“Completely legal”: Predators defend porn films with school leavers
In one widely-reported case this year, British porn-performer and OnlyFans model ‘Bonnie Blue’ invited teen boys attending school leavers on the Gold Coast to have sex with her on camera. In a series of videos on her TikTok, the pornographer claimed that she “loves pleasuring Barely Legal 18-year-olds”, especially virgins.
Blue defends her predation on teens as technically legal. But we are forced to question the character of an adult who would deliberately seek out members of a population whose brains have not finished developing and exploit their vulnerability for personal and financial gain.
Can these boys be said to have exercised meaningful consent in such circumstances, in an environment characterised by partying and alcohol consumption, and with their mates cheering them on? In this context, do these boys have the capacity and reasoned judgment to consider the potential consequences of making a pornographic video at 18 and how this might impact on their future relationships, job prospects and mental health?
This potential lack of sound judgment – their possible willingness to make reckless decisions that could cause a great deal of pain for themselves and their loved ones – is exactly why pornographer ‘toolies’* like Blue target them. It’s what these predators are counting on.
Activist and survivor Harrison James, who was sexually abused by his stepmother from ages 13-16, told news.com.au:
I find this situation deeply alarming. Throughout adolescence, young boys particularly are frequently exposed to damaging messages through mainstream pornography that reinforces harmful beliefs – that their worth and masculinity are tied to any sexual conquest.
When OnlyFans creators like Bonnie Blue specifically target ‘barely legal’ boys in environments like schoolies, it exacerbates a pre-existing issue: (the encouraging) of young men to equate any sexual encounter, even if it’s exploitative, with status and validation.
This environment is further complicated by alcohol and the emotional intensity of the celebrations.
OnlyFans pornographer targeting teen boys at school leavers events Kay Manuel, who claimed to have had sex with 55 boys on the first day, admitted some teens regretted making the videos and sent messages begging for the footage not to be published:
It happens a fair bit. Probably two in ten. Which is quite a lot.
A promotional poster depicts Manuel dressed as a sexy school teacher in front of a blackboard with the words "THROAT GOAT" (a reference to the act of performing fellatio) scrawled across it. We've just released our report on sexual harassment of female teachers in schools which found that almost half of those surveyed had been subjected to sexual harassment, primarily by male students. These pornified portrayals of female teachers contribute to a culture of sexual harassment and abuse against them.
In a TikTok video (screenshot below) Manuel attempts to recruit teen boys to produce pornographic content. “Schoolies, I’ll be out the front of McDonalds in Surfers Paradise from 6pm to 8pm … can’t wait to see you there.”
While Blue’s visa was cancelled before she could arrive, and Manuel was evicted from an Airbnb, this appears to be a growing trend of OnlyFans pornographers preying on teen boys and generating controversy and media attention by whatever means to solicit more subscribers.
Schoolies promo page turning girls into porn fantasy props
While we are now seeing boys targeted at school leavers events, girls remain vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse. The official promo page for Schoolies - the school leavers celebration week for new high school graduates - is normalising the sexualisation of Australian school girls.
Advertising material for one event - titled ‘Uniforms’ - promotes a pornified ‘sexy schoolgirls’ trope. It depicts a woman – seemingly without pants - lying on the floor of what appears to be a school classroom. The general vibe appears to sexify the school uniform.
Sexualising girls as objects of male fantasy contributes to a rise in harmful sexual behaviour in schools and sexual harassment outside of schools. Sexual harassment is a daily experience for many girls. Large numbers of girls – many underage – are subjected to harassment when wearing school uniforms.
While the graduates are on their way out, what do these sexed up promotions mean for the girls still in school? We wonder if schools support the appropriation of their uniforms in these pornified ways.
Too many girls experience sexual assault at Schoolies as we’ve documented at past events. By encouraging the sexualisation of teen girls and normalising pornified stereotypes about schoolgirls, the official Schoolies event page is putting many more girls in danger.
We call on the Schoolies event pages to stop hosting these harmful promotions immediately.
Call to action - let Schoolies know what you think.
Email: [email protected]
See also:
“I told myself it was empowering”: The truth about OnlyFans
Sexual Harassment of Teachers Report
Rape, Child Exploitation + Image-Based Abuse: The Truth About OnlyFans
*’Toolie’ is a term to describe a predatory adult (typically a man) who attends school leavers events to make sexual advances on teen attendees.
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