Digital self-exposure has become one of the entry ways to new forms of sexual exploitation in childhood and adolescence, according to a report prepared by Save the Children Spain in November 2025. The study, based on data from the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimization (GReVIA) of the University of Barcelona, reveals how technological advance and the proliferation of platforms such as OnlyFans and sites sugar dating have transformed the landscape of sexual risks in the digital environment.
The report is based on a survey of 1,008 young people between 18 and 21 years oldwho responded about their experiences and perceptions online during adolescence, as well as in-person workshops with adolescents aged 15 to 18. The results show that the self-exposure has been normalized and, in many cases, is perceived as a legitimate income or empowerment option, without recognition of the exploitation logic and inequality that sustain it.
He 2.5% of those surveyed stated that they had received some type of compensation in exchange for showing images or videos of sexual content while they were minors, while 14.4% knew someone who had done it. These figures, according to the report, allow us to estimate that hundreds of thousands of minors in Spain They could have participated in this type of exchanges, which shows that these are not isolated cases.
The Spanish legal framework is clear: consent of a minor is not valid in situations of sexual exploitation, even if the participation appears voluntary or is initiated by the minor himself. Article 188 of the Penal Code punishes anyone who requests, accepts or obtains a sexual relationship with a minor in exchange for remuneration, with aggravated penalties if the victim is under 16 years of age. Therefore, the generation or exchange of sexual content by adolescents in exchange for benefits cannot be considered consensual, but rather constitutes sexual exploitation.
The normalization of self-exposure and the commodification of the female body is reinforced by digital marketing strategies and aspirational narratives on social networks. More than a third of young people Respondents reported having encountered publications on social networks during their childhood that offered opportunities to earn money by selling intimate content. Girls are especially encouraged to participate as content creators, while boys are encouraged as consumers or even as “agents” or “mentors”roles that in practice involve new forms of digital pimping. The report documents the existence of organized agencies and networks that manage OnlyFans profiles, design marketing strategies and guide girls on how to sexualize their image to maximize income, keeping a significant percentage of the profits.
21% of respondents knew someone in their environment who used or considered using these platforms to generate income, being more common among girls. Journalistic investigations have revealed the existence of thousands of OnlyFans accounts belonging to minors, often created with falsified documents, as well as cases of videos in which the people filmed are not of legal age. In places like SugarDaddySpainthe creation of profiles with false ages does not encounter verification barriers.
The sugar dating platforms They promote contractual relationships between adult men—known as sugar daddies—and young girls—sugar babies—based on the exchange of companionship or sexual relations for money or gifts. Although they are presented as voluntary agreements, they reproduce deeply unequal and hierarchical power schemes, where the man controls the relationship through economic capacity and can exercise sexual coercion. The report highlights that these practices are promoted on social networks such as paths to economic independence and glamorbut in reality they constitute risk environments for the recruitment and exploitation of minors, especially those in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability.
Adolescents’ perceptions of self-exposure and monetization of sexual content reflect the effectiveness of normalization strategies. 32.3% consider that self-exposure is “a legitimate way to generate income”and almost the 24% see it favorablyalthough I would not practice it. Nearly 30% believe that those who sell sexual content on the Internet they make a lot of moneya perception fueled by narratives of economic success that are far from reality. Girls show greater concern about risks and negative consequences, while boys tend to see these practices as legitimate and less problematic.
The attribution of responsibility in cases of sale of sexual content by minors is ambivalent: 65.9% point to the buyer as responsible, 62.9% to parents or caregivers, 60.1% to the platform and 59.5% to the minor himself. This last figure reveals the persistence of the idea that minors are, in part, responsible for their own exploitation, which makes it difficult to recognize their status as victims, according to Save The Children. What’s more, a good part of these young people He doesn’t believe it is sexual exploitation.
Many adolescent girls believe that their participation is voluntary and that they control the situation, without realizing the profound power asymmetries based on age, gender and economic situation. This false sense of autonomy makes it difficult for victims to recognize themselves as such and ask for help. In fact, only 28.4% of young people identify self-exposure as a form of sexual exploitation, a percentage that drops to 24.8% among boys.
Among those who have been victims of digital sexual exploitation, the perception of risk is even lower: only 16% consider that the use of OnlyFans entails risks and negative consequencescompared to 38.1% of the non-victimized group. Additionally, 52% of victims believe that those who participate reap great financial benefits, compared to 28.9% of those who have not been victims.
The risks associated with the participation of minors on these platforms are multiple. The generation and sharing of sexual content exposes them to violence such as grooming (sexual harassment by adults on the Internet), sextortion (blackmail with intimate images), cyberbullying and the non-consensual distribution of sexual images, which can circulate on platforms such as Telegram, Discord or child sexual abuse material (CSAM) forums. In this sense, the report highlights that 24% of the victims of digital sexual exploitation were contacted via OnlyFans and 36% through sugar dating websites.
According to the study, how consumersadolescents also face risks: exposure to these contents can distort their perception of emotional and sexual relationships, reinforce discriminatory stereotypes and associate economic success with sexual exposure, perpetuating exploitation dynamics. For girls, the pressure for validation and sexualization limits their development and autonomy; For boys, it reinforces a masculinity based on control and consumption.
The report includes a series of recommendations. These include a constant demand: incorporating the emotional-sexual education in the educational curriculum, train professionals in the detection and prevention of digital violence, and promote awareness campaigns that make the risks visible and dismantle the myths of voluntariness and empowerment. In addition, it requires technological platforms to implement effective age verification mechanismscontent moderation and collaboration with the authorities, as well as the prohibition of the promotion of these platforms in spaces accessible to minors. It also advocates for legal measures that regulate the exposure of minors on social networks and the management of child influencer accounts.
