'It's really not pleasant'
A woman based in the Philippines has shared her experience of earning less than $2 per hour while impersonating higher-paid OnlyFans models in online chats, describing it as "heartbreaking." The platform connects creators of explicit content with rs who pay to access material and engage in chats.
While prominent creators on OnlyFans can generate substantial income, the task of interacting with fans and promoting sales of images and videos is frequently carried out by low-paid workers employed by third-party agencies, such as the individual interviewed by the BBC.
A union representing these workers, known as "chatters," expressed concern to about the largely unregulated nature of this online work.
OnlyFans, which reported $7.2 billion (£5.3 billion) in revenue in 2024, declined to comment. Its terms of service specify that its business relationship is exclusively with content creators.
The BBC is withholding the woman's name to protect her identity. She was employed by an agency representing the model she impersonated and began this work to support her family during a period of reduced income. She earned under $2 per hour, working eight-hour shifts five days a week.
During her shifts, she was given targets to generate hundreds of dollars in sales of pictures and videos for the model. The platform's top creators claim monthly earnings in the millions.
In a subsequent role with a different agency, her pay and conditions improved but remained below $4 per hour.
She acknowledged that the job involved explicit content but found "sexting" unpleasant.
"It's kind of icky when you think about it, because you'll have to do sexting a lot of times, like, several times in an hour because, you know, you'll be talking to several fans all at once."
She described the fans as often "really nice" but evidently lonely, which made the experience feel sad, especially since she was not the person she appeared to be.
This deception troubled her.
"Technically, I'm scamming them, because I'll be sending all those photos and videos to them, and I'm just after the sale," she said.
The use of chatters has led to legal actions against OnlyFans and the agencies employing them, with claims of deceptive practices. To date, none of these cases have succeeded.
She noted that some fans requested "really weird, kinks or fetishes," which she generally tolerated but not always.
"There are days where I feel like, 'what the hell am I doing here?' because there are days that it would really take its toll on you."
When asked if she felt exploited, she described accepting under $2 per hour as "not her finest hour."
"It's really not pleasant, you know? You're going to question yourself. Your morality, even, and even your conscience," she told the BBC.
"It's really kind of heart-breaking, especially knowing that the agency is getting way more," she added.
Poor worker protections
The woman also expressed concerns about potential legal risks due to the Philippines' strict anti-pornography laws.
The BPO Industry Employees' Network (BIEN), an independent union representing outsourced business process workers in the Philippines, shared its perspective.
Mylene Cabalona, BIEN's president, told the BBC that although the Philippines enforces relatively strict pornography laws, the union's primary concern is the largely unregulated nature of this online work.
"This raises serious concerns about workers' exposure to potentially egregious or harmful content, as well as a lack of clear guidelines on safety, accountability, and worker protection," she said.
However, Cabalona also noted advantages to outsourced digital jobs, including chat work, which can enable workers to earn income from home while supporting clients or platforms abroad.
"These jobs can also offer higher potential income compared to some local entry-level jobs and provide opportunities to develop skills in digital work," she added.
