A growing number of college students are joining OnlyFans to earn money, a trend documentary filmmaker Rock Jacobs and mental-health professionals say has accelerated since the pandemic and is reshaping behavior and expectations on campuses nationwide.
OnlyFans, a subscription platform that allows adults to produce and sell sexually explicit content to subscribers, saw creator numbers rise from about 350,000 globally in 2019 to more than 4.1 million in 2023, according to Statista. The platform’s growth has coincided with rising tuition and living costs: the Education Data Initiative calculated the average annual cost of college in the United States at roughly $38,270 in 2025.
Jacobs, director of a documentary series titled "Lonely Fans," said he began filming in 2023 and has observed a shift from secrecy to pride among students who create adult content online. "At the beginning, I didn’t think it was something that people were trying to hide. Now it’s something that people are proud about," he told Fox News Digital, describing the work as a new form of income comparable to traditional paychecks for some creators.
Students and former students told Jacobs and others that the combination of immediate pay, attention and flexible hours is attractive, especially amid tightening household budgets and mounting student debt. "There’s some people that really need money," Jacobs said. "This is such an easy way to do it. It comes quick, and you know you will make money."
Mental-health professionals warn that the rewards can also create dependencies and pose psychological risks. New York City psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert said the mix of instant gratification, attention, validation and income can lead creators to tie self-worth to online metrics. "Those same rewards can create dependency and affect self-worth," he said. "Students risk tying their identity and confidence to clicks and subscribers. What is framed as independence often masks a deeper vulnerability."
College administrators and career counselors have expressed concern that publicly posting explicit material may carry long-term consequences for job prospects and reputations within communities. Jacobs said he has filmed accounts of both financial success and serious harms. One woman featured in his series told producers she made millions and changed her life financially, but said she goes to bed fearing someone will break into her house and kill her. Another story Jacobs recounted involved an alleged fan who traveled five hours, broke into a creator’s house and hid in her attic.
Safety advocates say such incidents illustrate the potential for online interactions to become physical threats. Stalking, doxxing and threats have been reported by creators across platforms, and campus public-safety officials caution that being a visible online presence can invite unwanted attention.
The phenomenon is not limited to a single type of institution. Jacobs said he has encountered creators at highly ranked universities as well as regional campuses. He also described encounters outside high schools in which underage students expressed an eagerness to join OnlyFans as soon as they turned 18, a remark Jacobs said underscored a cultural shift toward seeing adult-content creation as an early career choice.
Critics of the trend warn about broader cultural implications. Jacobs suggested that normalizing adult-content work among young people could alter family dynamics and long-term life choices. "If we keep moving and normalizing this type of behavior, then family values are going to be diminished," he said.
OnlyFans’ growth followed broader shifts in online commerce and creator economies during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people sought new income streams and audiences moved online. The platform’s subscription model lets creators charge monthly fees, sell pay-per-view content and receive tips, enabling some to generate significant revenue. Industry analysts point out, however, that income in the creator economy is often uneven: a minority of top creators earn large sums while many others make little or modest supplemental income.
Universities face challenges balancing students’ rights to expression and privacy with concerns about safety, campus climate and future employability. Some career counselors encourage students who have posted explicit content to think carefully about digital footprints and to consider how content might be perceived by prospective employers or graduate programs. Legal experts note that adults retain the right to make and sell explicit content, but that institutions and employers may take such activity into account under existing conduct or hiring standards.
Those studying online sexual economies say policymakers and campus leaders may need new resources and guidance to address issues that arise at the intersection of digital entrepreneurship, safety and student welfare. Advocates for creators argue for improved platform safety features and clearer reporting mechanisms for harassment and threats.
As the academic year begins, the debate over OnlyFans on campuses highlights tensions between financial necessity, personal autonomy and community safety. Filmmakers, mental-health professionals and university officials say the trend warrants attention as part of larger conversations about how young adults are navigating work, identity and risk in a digital-first economy.