Meg Bonnie, a 21-year-old single mum from Nottingham, says she lies about how much she receives in benefits to provoke online reactions and earn money on TikTok. She started receiving "online hate" after her followers realised she was on Universal Credit after turning 18 in 2023.
She has now built a following of more than 200,000 on TikTok, where she claims to receive £3,500 a month despite actually getting "about £800 a month". She says she only began "playing into" the trolls when a 2025 video about having her second child on benefits was viewed eight million times.
Eight million views changed everything
The viral clip earned enough to pay for all her daughter's things, and she realised the combination of being a single mum on benefits with two children was what had driven it. "I didn't start playing into it until I was pregnant with my daughter, I posted a video that got about eight million views of me just saying I was on universal credit, just become a single mum," she said. "I wanted people to share the videos so I could earn some money and from that video I managed to pay for all my daughter's stuff."
She added: "From that point I obviously got a lot of hate from that and I kind of started playing into the titles like 'come and clean my council flat', 'this is what I bought on universal credit'."
Using hate to make money
Meg, who has "part-time ragebaiter" in her TikTok bio, said the video that received eight million views generated her just under £2,000. She explained how it started: "About a year ago, I was having people complaining, saying that they're going to work [only] for [me] to sit at home getting thousands each month, when in reality I get about £800 a month."
"That's where I started receiving a lot of hate from people, and I decided to use that and monetise it instead," she said.
How the algorithm helps
Meg, mum to Kayden, three, and Elaia, one, says her earnings depend on how much interest her videos generate. "The more people that comment the more it [a video] gets pushed by the algorithm. It helps push it out more," she said.
"The video that blew up that got 8 million overall gave me just under £2,000 but that was split over two months because of when it was, whereas the video I made the other day, about £700."
Viewers are divided
Hundreds of commenters share their views on Meg's videos, and reactions are split. One said: "You’re getting more than I will as a Doctor starting in August." Another said: "I get it. It's rage bait for engagement, but I'd never use my kids to bait anyone on social media. Each to their own I guess."
A third added: "Lucky you! I work 60 hours a week and don’t get that much a month!!" However, a fourth said: "As a working mum, this doesn’t bother me at all. Well looked after children! Xx."
Thick skin and future plans
Meg acknowledges she plays into stereotypes and describes some of her videos as "satire". She said: "There's a lot of stereotypes and I play into them, that's no secret, I do play into the stereotypes." She says she receives "a lot of comments about how the benefits system needs to be stopped, what's wrong with this country", but is more upset by personal attacks. "I don't really mind those ones, those ones don't bother me, I did have a lot of comments on a video several months ago where people instead of coming for the situation were coming for the way I look, my weight, how my children look and that obviously upset me a little bit," she said.
She wants to move away from generating hate for money and has a message for critics. "I tried to steer away from it a little bit and go back to just making mum content because I lost joy in it for a while because people were just angry with me. But I think I've got a thick skin now and I'm now getting more people that understand the humour in it than are actually mad," she said.
"I think there's just the stereotype that people on universal credit that we have children so we don't have to work, we get a free house, we don't have to do anything. But over time I want people to see that I might be on universal credit and live in a council flat but I've gone back to college every year since I've had children, I'm learning to drive, when I drive I'll be working. I'm not the person that they need to be mad at. I'm posting what I post because I'm using my situation to generate income and it will better me one day, I'm not going to be in this situation forever."
