OnlyFans Bans Sexually Explicit Video Content, Competitors Rise Up

In an announcement taking many by surprise, content creation company OnlyFans has said that it will ban sexually explicit video content on its site beginning in October.

The company said that nude photos and videos will still be allowed as long as they follow the company's policy, according to Bloomberg, which was the first to report the announcement.

OnlyFans has more than 150 million users. It also has over 1.5 million content creators, according to its website. Many sex workers use the site to sell fans explicit material. Celebrities and influencers also used the site to sell adult and PG-rated material to their fans -- people like Cardi B, Bella Thorne, and Aaron Carter all have accounts.

The company has seen a significant increase in traffic since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020, shifting the company's focus to content-makers who are not sex workers, according to Bloomberg.

Previously, the site received praise for providing sex workers a space to conduct their work, seemingly filling a void after Tumblr banned adult content in 2018.

OnlyFans said it needed the change due to pressure from banking partners and payment providers as it raises money from outside investors.

"In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines," the company said in a statement.

Last year, it moved more than $2 billion in sales, and will reportedly double that amount this year. OnlyFans keeps 20 percent of those sales.

The company has been a significant player in the creator economy but struggled to find outside investors because of its adult content, reported Axios.

In response to OnlyFans' announcement, a competitor content site, JustForFans, posted on Twitter that it would welcome the sex workers and content creators from OnlyFans.

"The adult industry is sadly used to companies cutting their teeth on the adult market and then abandoning them once they reach critical mass," the company wrote. It added that it was a porn site that was founded and built by sex workers. "We are well-poised to make sure adult content creators are not abandoned."

Online users noted that while OnlyFans takes 20 percent of sales, JustForFans takes 30 percent. Still, JustForFans crashed as traffic surged to the site on Thursday.

4MyFans, another competitor site by studio performer Austin Wolf, also issued up their services. "I'm pleading with you at this point to join our platform and send us to whomever you think my want to join," Wolf said in a video posted to Twitter. "We can also copy over your entire OnlyFans content to your 4MyFans platform. That's the only reason I suggest you do it sooner than later."