The prevalence of OnlyFans

OnlyFans saw around 468 million website visits in December 2024, making it one of the most visited adult platforms globally. Among paying users, the average monthly spend is around $20, showing just how profitable and engaging the site can be. But what’s fuelling this level of attention?

What is OnlyFans?

OnlyFans is a subscription-based platform that allows creators to share content directly with paying subscribers. Although it was originally intended for all types of creators, it quickly became best known for hosting adult material and private interactions between fans and performers.

Unlike traditional social media, where likes and views don’t always lead to income, OnlyFans allows creators to charge for access, offer extras like custom videos and communicate with their audience in a more direct way.

OnlyFans gained significant traction in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As jobs disappeared and people spent more time online, many turned to the platform, some to earn money, others for entertainment and connection during periods of isolation. This surge pushed the platform into wider public awareness and its model of direct-to-consumer content became more widely accepted.

While its reputation is often linked to adult content, OnlyFans has changed how digital creators can support themselves. It offers a model where the audience pays not just for content but for attention, access and a sense of closeness that other platforms don’t provide in the same way.

What makes OnlyFans so popular?

The pull of OnlyFans doesn’t come from one single thing. It’s a mix of emotional triggers, psychological rewards and design choices that keep people coming back. For users, it taps into loneliness, desire and the need to feel seen. For creators, it’s often the mix of validation, attention and income potential that creates a difficult cycle to step away from.

Can OnlyFans become addictive?

The platform itself doesn’t force anyone to keep coming back, but it’s designed to make that very easy. So, is OnlyFans inherently addictive? That depends on how we define addiction. Unlike traditional adult sites, OnlyFans isn’t just focused on content. It taps into emotions, identity and interaction. That level of involvement creates a far more intense experience than scrolling through free content on sites like Pornhub.

In this way, OnlyFans acts more like an evolved version of adult entertainment. It’s part pornography, part social media, part relationship simulator.

Case Study: Dylan McKnight

To understand how OnlyFans can become addictive, we turn our attention to a gritty confession from an unlikely source.

Popular YouTuber Dylan McKnight seems like he has everything going for him. With nearly 700,000 subscribers on his fitness channel and a physique that reflects years of discipline, it’s easy to assume he’s living the dream.

But in a raw, no-filter video filmed from his car, Dylan opens up about something far more personal: his struggle with porn addiction. He explains how he spent over $20,000 feeding a habit that left him emotionally and sexually disconnected from real life.

Dylan was raised in a strict religious household where sexual urges were seen as something to suppress. With no healthy outlet, he turned to porn. At first, it felt like a private solution. But over time, it became something much heavier. The sense of connection he felt, even through a screen, began to replace real intimacy. Platforms like OnlyFans gave him a place to go when he felt isolated and that isolation only grew stronger.

As the years passed, Dylan began struggling with erectile dysfunction and deep confusion about his sexuality. He found it harder and harder to connect with women in real life. Attempts at sex led nowhere. His relationships began to collapse. He couldn’t express love and couldn’t receive it either. Eventually, he started paying women in person, not for sexual gratification but for a chance to feel close to someone.

What makes Dylan’s story hit hard is his honesty. He describes himself as broken, not to shock or stir pity but because the part of him that once knew how to bond with others feels gone. After years of replacing human connection with paid and digital experiences, closeness began to feel completely out of reach.

Dylan’s story shows just how deeply porn addiction can affect someone’s life. It doesn’t always announce itself loudly; it can quietly take hold and pull a person further away from real connection. It’s also a reminder that porn addiction can affect anyone, and it doesn’t fit a type or follow a stereotype. One commenter on Dylan’s video put it plainly: “He looks 80% better than the average man. I’m shocked that he still got trapped in this hell.”

That alone is a reminder that addiction doesn’t care how you look, what you earn or how others see you.

Am I addicted to porn?

If you’re regularly using porn, especially subscription-based platforms like OnlyFans, it’s always a good idea to check in with yourself. Watching porn is a personal choice and this isn’t about telling you not to. But if you do engage with it, it’s worth making sure your relationship with it is healthy and not quietly slipping into something more harmful. Like anything that offers instant reward, it can become something you rely on without realising.

Here are a few questions to help you assess where you stand. If you find yourself answering ‘yes’ to any of them, it might be worth taking a closer look at how porn is playing a role in your life:

• Do you feel anxious, irritable or restless if you go a day without watching porn?
• Have you tried to cut back on porn use in the past but found it difficult to stick to?
• Do you spend more time watching porn than you intended, often losing track of time?
• Has porn affected your interest in or ability to enjoy real-life sexual experiences?
• Do you find yourself using porn as a way to escape from difficult emotions or stress?
• Have your relationships, work or daily responsibilities been affected by your porn use?

If you answered ‘yes’ to a few of them, it could be a sign that porn is having more impact on your life than you thought, and that support might be worth considering.

Where can I get help for porn addiction?

If porn is starting to affect your relationships, self-worth or ability to connect in real life, you don’t have to face it alone. At UKAT, we offer professional, non-judgemental support for those struggling with porn addiction. Our tailored rehab programmes help you rebuild a healthy relationship with intimacy and take back control of your life. Reach out today and take the first step towards lasting recovery and genuine connection.