Digital self-exposure has become one way to enter 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) at the University of Barcelona, reveals the extent of technological progress and the spread of platforms such as OnlyFans And websites Sugar dating It has transformed the landscape of sexual risks in the digital environment.
The report is based on a survey of 1,008 young people 18 and 21 years oldwho responded to their online experiences and perceptions during adolescence, as well as in-person workshops with teens aged 15 to 18 years. The results show that Self-exposure It has been normalized and, in many cases, seen as a legitimate income or empowering option, without being recognised The logic of exploitation And the inequality that sustains it.
he 2.5% Those surveyed stated that they received some type of compensation for viewing images or videos with sexual content when they were minors, while 14.4% knew Someone has done it. These numbers, according to the report, allow us to estimate this Hundreds of thousands of minors in Spain They could have been involved in this type of exchange, which indicates that these are not isolated cases.
The Spanish legal framework is clear: consent The participation of a minor in cases of sexual exploitation does not apply, even if the participation appears to be voluntary or 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 a fee, with severe penalties if the victim is under 16 years old. Therefore, the production or exchange of sexual content by teens in exchange for benefits cannot be considered consensual, but constitutes it Sexual exploitation.
the Normalize self-exposure The commodification of the female body is reinforced through digital marketing strategies and aspirational narratives on social networks. more than A third of young people Respondents reported that they encountered social media posts during their childhood that provided 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 creators “Agents” or “Mentors”Roles that in practice involve new forms of Digital pandering. 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, and keep a significant percentage of the profits.
21% of respondents know someone in their environment who uses or is considering using these platforms to generate income More common among girls. Journalistic investigations revealed the existence of thousands of OnlyFans accounts belonging to minors, which were often created with forged documents, as well as cases of videos in which the people depicted were not of legal age. In places like SugarDaddySpaincreating profiles with fake ages does not face verification barriers.
the Sugar dating platforms They encourage 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 highly unequal and hierarchical power schemes, where men control the relationship through economic power and can exercise sexual coercion. The report highlights that these practices are being promoted on social networks such as Paths to economic independence and magicBut in reality, they constitute dangerous environments for the recruitment and exploitation of minors, especially those in situations Social and economic vulnerability.
Adolescents’ perceptions of self-exposure and monetization of sexual content reflect the effectiveness of normalization strategies. 32.3% consider self-exposure to be normal “A legitimate way to generate income”and almost 24% see this positivelyAlthough I wouldn’t do that. Nearly 30% believe that those who sell sexual content online They make a lot of moneyThis is a 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 view these practices as legitimate and less problematic.
Attribution of responsibility in cases of sale of sexual content by minors is contradictory: 65.9% point to the buyer as responsible, 62.9% to parents or caregivers, and 60.1% to The platform and 59.5% for the minor himself. This latest figure reveals the persistence of the idea that minors are partly responsible for their exploitation, making it difficult to acknowledge their status as victims, according to Save the Children. What’s more, a large portion of these are young people He does not believe this is sexual exploitation.
Many teenage girls believe that their participation is voluntary and that they are in control of the situation, without realizing the profound inequalities of power based on age, gender and economic status. This false sense of independence makes it difficult for victims to recognize themselves as such and seek help. In fact, only 28.4% of young people consider self-exposure a form of sexual exploitation, a percentage that drops to 24.8% among boys.
Among those who were victims of digital sexual exploitation, risk perception was lower: only 16% considered using OnlyFans to entail Risks and negative consequencescompared to 38.1% of the unaffected group. In addition, 52% of victims believe that those who participate reap significant financial benefits, compared to 28.9% of those who were not victims.
The risks associated with the participation of minors on these platforms are multiple. Creating and sharing sexual content exposes them to violence, e.g Grooming (sexual harassment by adults online), sextortion (blackmail with intimate images), cyberbullying and non-consensual distribution of sexual images, which can be circulated on platforms such as Telegram, disagreement Or Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) forums. In this sense, the report highlights that 24% of victims of digital sexual exploitation were such He was contacted via OnlyFans And 36% through sugar dating sites.
According to the study, how ConsumersTeens also face risks: exposure to such content can distort their perception of romantic and sexual relationships, reinforce discriminatory stereotypes, and link economic success to sexual exposure. – Perpetuating the dynamics of exploitation. For girls, the pressure to be validated and sexualized limits their development and independence; For boys, it reinforces masculinity based on control and consumption.
The report includes a series of recommendations. These include continuous demand: Merge Emotional sexual education In educational curricula, training professionals to detect and prevent digital violence, and promoting awareness campaigns that make the risks clear and dismantle the myths of volunteerism and empowerment. In addition, it requires technological platforms for implementation Effective age verification mechanismsSupervising content and cooperating with the authorities, as well as prohibiting the promotion of these platforms in places accessible to minors. It also calls for taking legal measures to regulate the exposure of minors on social media networks and the management of the accounts of influential children.
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