ABSTRACT
This paper examines the impact of TikTok and similar platforms on young people, regarding adult content creators and their online communities. While these platforms offer connection, they also expose minors to the normalisation of adult industries and the glamorisation of sex work, distorting perceptions of success and self-worth. This can lead to long-term mental health issues and influence minors to idealise adult workers without understanding the complexities involved. It will also highlight the risks of digital footprints, where minors may unknowingly compromise their future reputations. It calls for better education, regulation, and accountability from platforms and influencers to protect young users from harmful content and ensure their digital presence does not have lasting negative effects.
INTRODUCTION
The influence of social media on young people is undeniable, with platforms like TikTok playing a significant role in shaping their perceptions and behaviours. While TikTok’s ability to connect people and spotlight a diverse range of individuals can be seen as a positive, there are growing concerns about the potential negative consequences. TikTok’s ability to create fan-like communities can contribute to a toxic environment where sex work is normalised, and minors are encouraged to engage with or pursue careers in adult industries. Influencers, often targeting fresh graduates or young girls sometimes market themselves and their lifestyles in a way that glamorises the adult industry. While TikTok’s capacity to create community and connection is not inherently negative, the exposure of minors to this content can distort their understanding of reality. The issue is not with sex work itself but with how minors who are still developing their views on identity and self-worth, are influenced by these portrayals in ways that can have lasting effects on their mental health and sense of self. This paper will focus on TikTok’s tendency to normalise the sexualisation of content leading to mental health issues in youth, the online communities’ influencers create, and the possible negative digital footprint young people could create from interacting in online sex work content.
THE NORMALISATION AND SEXUALISATION OF CONTENT ON TIKTOK
Tik Tok’s quick rise in 2018 has had significant implications for the way young people engage with online content, creating fan communities or groups that engage with adult content. This can create a ‘normalisation’ of sexualised content which can have damaging effects on the mental health and well-being of young people. TikTok’s guidelines prohibit sexual content including explicit material from any user. However, their automated system is not always accurate, causing helpful content like LGBTQ+ and sex education videos to be wrongly removed, while harmful content can still appear whilst they have human reviews to fix these issues, the process can be slow meaning harmful content can stay up longer than it should (Petrovic, 2023). This is concerning for minors, as TikTok’s accessibility exposes young users to content that could impact their self-worth and perceptions of relationships.
Exposure to sexualised media content has been linked to a range of negative outcomes, particularly distorted body image ideals. Platforms that prioritise photo or video sharing, where physical appearance is central, are believed to have a stronger detrimental effect on body image (Vandenbosch et al., 2022). Social media environments that revolve around looks increase the likelihood of encountering appearance-focused content (Vandenbosch et al., 2022). This issue is further exacerbated by TikTok’s lack of age-verification measures. TikTok attracts a young audience, with over 60% of its users from Gen Z like other social media platforms, TikTok exposes children to risks such as inappropriate content and misinformation contributing to negative mental health effects (Ingber & Su, 2024). Despite these concerns, there is no clear policy for regulating children’s use of TikTok, and some argue that platforms should self-regulate – however, companies like TikTok and others represented by NetChoice, have fought against regulations with a lawsuit halting progress on online child protection policies (Ingber & Su, 2024). Additionally, TikTok’s culture of virality can encourage users to push boundaries for the sake of creativity and attention. This can also lead to creators engaging in provocative behaviour to gain views. For example, an adult content creator Bonnie Blue, has been criticised for targeting young boys who have just turned 18, advertising herself at a schoolies event in the Gold Coast. While legal consent is in place, the pervasive influence of social media may send harmful messages to adolescents. The young men targeted by Bonnie Blue are often at a vulnerable point in their lives. Transitioning into adulthood, many are still understanding their identities, self-worth, and how to act in relationships (Hussain, 2024). Blue’s viral content that often sparks controversy, may also influence young girls by reinforcing the idea that this is how young men value them. Sexual objectification on social media can lead adolescent girls to internalise this, which may negatively impact their mental health and well-being, these sexually objectified videos offer constant opportunities for girls to measure themselves against unrealistic standards that prioritise being “sexy” or “desirable” as a key component of their identity. This reinforces the idea that their value is tied to how they are constantly observed and judged based on their appearance (Papageorgiou et al., 2022). Overall, the ‘normalisation’ of sexualised content can have damaging effects on the mental health and well-being of young people involved in these online communities.
THE COMMUNITIES THAT INFLUENCERS CREATE
Influencers involved in adult content often create strong online communities around themselves, where their followers become deeply invested in their lives and identities. On platforms like TikTok, these influencers attract large numbers of young impressionable followers, who view them as role models or sources of inspiration. Social media has quickly become a space for children or young adults to communicate, with the integration of smartphones and social platforms into daily life, children are now exposed to these technologies and the internet at an earlier age (Ahmad et al., 2018). This shift has led to significant changes in social dynamics, influencing how people engage with one another so whilst social media offers various benefits, it also has the potential to negatively affect minors (Ahmad et al., 2018). Sex workers face the challenges of racism, sexism, classism whilst simultaneously being told by society that they lack ‘self-respect’ or are ‘harmful’ this creates the narrative where they are dehumanised and seen as expendable making them vulnerable to violence or online hate (Sanchez, 2022). The stigma surrounding adult workers creates the misconception that it is the act of sex work itself rather than the targeted violence that leads to the abuse of these workers (Sanchez, 2022). This is where the issue of influencers glamorising adult work is problematic as their followers often internalise these messages. Young audiences may not see the complexities and challenges of the industry, instead viewing it as a quick path to fame or success, . Influencers create communities where these ideas are constantly supported and reinforced influencing their followers to spread these perceptions to their own networks. Anna Paul is a prime example of how an influencer can cultivate a strong online community. The Australian influencer has built a significant following on TikTok, where she is not only seen as a source of entertainment but also as an influential figure. Whilst originally her main job or income was being an OnlyFans star, her audience which is mostly made up of young girls and young adults constantly engage with her content, which includes daily vlogs, glimpses of her lavish trips, and occasional promotions for her OnlyFans account. Her community consistently supports and admires her, but some may begin to believe that joining platforms like OnlyFans and engaging in sex work is the only way to achieve a similar level of success and financial independence. Another example of this issue can be seen with a TikTok group called the “Bop House,” an online community made up of creators from the OnlyFans industry who collaborate to produce group TikTok’s. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the group itself or the work they do, the concern arises from their influence on younger audiences. Some people are concerned because their TikTok’s, which are seemingly PG, are accessible to minors as they subtly promote their adult content or OnlyFans accounts (Mitchell, 2025). These creators sometimes inviting young influencers to join them an example is 17-year-old influencer Piper Rockelle, who has been seen participating in collaborations this attracting her young fanbase or online community as they comment and admire who she is seen with and what she is doing. Her involvement in such spaces inadvertently normalises and glamorises the OnlyFans industry for her young audience. The issue is not with the existence of sex work or the choice of adults to work in the OnlyFans industry, but rather the way it is portrayed. These influencers focus primarily on the glamorous and successful aspects, which can mislead young followers into thinking that joining this industry will lead to that. These fan communities, in turn, often encourage their peers to follow the same path, without taking the time to critically evaluate whether this is the right decision for themselves. Instead of focusing on personal development, young fans are led to idealise a career that they might not fully understand. Ekinci et al. (2025) speak on parasocial interaction theory, this suggests that social media influencers create emotional connections with their followers, these relationships build a loyal audience for influencers leading to higher user engagement. Which is how these influencers build such strong communities, sharing the exciting parts of their life and job perhaps leaving out any negative aspects of the industry. Therefore, sex work influencers create strong online communities that can negatively influence minors.
THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS ONLINE
Whilst TikTok and other social media platforms offer short-term connections and instant gratification, a significant concern for young users is the long-term impact of their digital footprints. As social media communities become more influential specifically those built around online adult creators or influencers young people may unknowingly compromise their future. Once content is shared or a user becomes associated with certain communities it can be challenging to change how that content may be received. Aguiar (2024) found that 50% of young people aged 8 to 17 are found to use the internet and social media daily, this highlights the increasing concerns surrounding digital footprints involving this age group. Whilst children and teenagers are generally tech-savvy their awareness of their digital footprint and how to manage it varies by gender, grade, and socioeconomic background; with many lacking a clear understanding of its implications (Aguiar, 2024). Minors who share or engage in content from adult sex work influencers might find that what they put into the community may cause issues later in life. Social media has evolved into a platform for obtaining information, connecting with new individuals, and forming networks and relationships among users who share similar goals or interests (Vokounová, 2020). Young users can knowingly or unknowingly leave traces of their online activity, since this information can be shared or seen online by other community members it is hard to completely erase (Wook et al., 2019). There is a need for further education to help minors understand what they should and shouldn’t share or engage with publicly online. Additionally, online communities associated with adult content should adjust their messaging to avoid unknowingly attracting minors, preventing them from becoming involved and potentially experiencing long-term negative consequences from their own digital footprint. Overall, social media communities continue to shape the online experiences of young people. It is crucial to provide regulations and education for children in the online space especially when interacting with adult content creators.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, whilst social media platforms like TikTok offer valuable opportunities for connection and creativity. They also present risks when it comes to the normalisation of adult industries on social media, distorting minors’ perceptions of success or their own self-worth which can lead to long term mental health issues. With the influence of adult content creators and the communities they build sometimes having a negative effect on minors. As these online communities grow, it is essential that education and regulation is prioritised to prevent minors from the lasting consequences of their own digital footprint. Platforms like TikTok that prioritise photo or video sharing, means that physical appearance is central, this focus on visual aesthetics is believed to have a stronger detrimental effect on body image ideals for young people (Vandenbosch et al., 2022). Continued education, awareness and a call for influencers to hold accountability toward how they tailor their online messages, so it steers children away is crucial to create a positive social space for young people to explore, learn and connect in these communities without compromising their future wellbeing.
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Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…