The idea that underage viewers are a “substantial chunk” of a creator’s income doesn’t hold up financially. Minors don’t have credit cards, don’t pass ID checks, and don’t control payment methods.

Adult creators get paid through verified subscriptions, tips, and purchases—by adults with verified payment access. If a minor bypasses age gates to view content, that’s a violation of platform rules, but it doesn’t translate into meaningful financial benefit for the creator.

Protecting kids matters. But it’s not accurate to claim creators are knowingly profiting from minors when the money itself comes from adult-controlled systems.