A cross-party group of MPs has called for live-streaming of sex acts to be banned, warning there is no way the practice can be made safe. The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation also said 'e-pimps' and agencies who profit from someone else's live sexual performances must face criminal sanctions.
The group said the government must get to grips with "webcamming" - where viewers pay to watch a person strip or perform sex acts live - on platforms such as OnlyFans.
Webcamming trade 'a magnet for exploiters'
Labour MP Tracy Gilbert, who chairs the APPG, said: "The webcamming trade is a magnet for exploiters. These e-pimps style themselves as legitimate 'managers' and agencies, yet they exert sexual coercion and control over the women they recruit and profit from."
She added: "Webcamming platforms are currently treated in policy and regulation like 'regular' pornography websites, but they are different. The activity is performed live; by definition, it cannot be pre-screened to prevent against the creation and distribution of illegal content and serious harms to women and children."
Ms Gilbert said these sites largely function "beyond the reach of the law" as they are hidden behind paywalls that authorities cannot get around.
Report highlights exploitation and earnings losses
The report points to a BBC investigation into OnlyFans, which found that of 60 performers on the platform, 83% had felt pressured by their agency or 'manager' to record increasingly explicit sexual material. It also found 'managers' were taking up to 70% of performers' earnings.
Ms Gilbert warned that allowing viewers to direct performers on webcams normalises exploitation, stating: "No woman or girl is unaffected by today's normalised webcamming trade. It is time for Government to act."
Anti-slavery commissioner and government respond
Eleanor Lyons, the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, said: "Behind the profiles and the payments are people who have experienced coercion, exploitation and abuse, while others have profited from their suffering."
She continued: "Much of what is described in this report reflects what I have heard time and again through my own work on the role Adult Services Websites play in enabling exploitation. Behind different platforms and different technologies, the same patterns emerge with people being exploited for profit, abuse hidden behind a screen, and profound harm inflicted on victims."
She added: "Without action, these harms risk becoming harder to detect, harder to prevent, and easier for perpetrators to profit from. We must be clear that no business model, platform or technology can justify the exploitation of people for profit."
A government spokesperson said: "Our commitment to halving violence against women and girls within a decade includes tackling the serious exploitation and abuse associated with prostitution. As part of this, we are reviewing the law on prostitution, and strengthening the law enforcement response to adult sexual exploitation."
The spokesperson added: "In addition, the Online Safety Act places legal duties on platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content, much of which contributes to the degradation of women and girls." The Mirror has contacted OnlyFans for comment.
