John Whaite condemns OnlyFans over child exploitation claims as he quits
The baker said: “I won’t put profit before social purpose.”
John Whaite has closed his OnlyFans account over claims young children are being exploited on the subscription site.
The 33-year-old Great British Bake Off winner shared the announcement on his Instagram on Thursday (27 October).
His post read: “Following the news today alleging that users of the Only Fans platform are still able to exploit young children, I have taken the decision to close down my account.
“While the claims are yet to be proven/refuted, I cannot morally continue to use a platform that is subject to such serious allegations,” he continued.
“Exploitation of children is abhorrent and it is incumbent on corporations such as Only Fans to ensure they have the most advanced filter systems in place to prevent and report such activity.”
In the caption of his post, the Strictly Come Dancing runner-up emphasised that he refuses to “won’t put profit before social purpose.”
Whaite’s decision to leave the platform comes after a senior US investigator declared it still easy to find child abuse images that have originated on OnlyFans.
“The youngest was around five years old,” the investigator told the BBC, adding that others were about 12 years of age. “Whatever their [OnlyFans’] current methodology, there’s still cracks that it’s still slipping through”, they added.
The Chief Executive of OnlyFans, Amrapali Gan, told the BBC: “We actively work with law enforcement. If anyone makes the mistake thinking they can upload illegal content, we will report them.”
Gan described OnlyFans as “the safest and most inclusive social media platform.”
In a statement, OnlyFans shared: “When the BBC raised this anonymous claim, we asked them for evidence to enable us to investigate.”
“The BBC refused to provide any details or evidence preventing OnlyFans from investigating this claim,” the statement continues.
Last year, a BBC investigation revealed that moderators had been allowed to give multiple warnings to accounts that post illegal content on its online platform before permanently closing the accounts.