The Chinese government has taken a definitive step in its ongoing campaign to police online content by formally banning access to the subscription-based platform OnlyFans, citing efforts to eliminate what it described as “immoral and degenerate Western influence.”

Although the site was never officially available in mainland China, users have long accessed it through virtual private networks (VPNs) and other third-party services that bypass the country’s stringent internet restrictions. That access now appears to have been entirely severed under the latest enforcement wave targeting foreign digital content.

The move is part of a broader government initiative to tighten further control over the internet, which has included new restrictions on platforms such as Instagram, Reddit, and various foreign video games and films.

OnlyFans now joins a growing list of overseas platforms blocked under China’s “clean internet” campaign, which authorities say aims to curb the spread of pornography, political dissent, and culturally subversive material.

In China, the production and distribution of pornographic content are already criminal offenses. Enforcement extends to music and entertainment, with the government previously releasing anti-pornography songs to bolster public messaging.

Despite the restrictions, some domestic creators have circumvented the laws by using local “fan club” platforms, such as Weimiquan and Zhihu, to distribute adult-oriented content under the guise of personal communities or lifestyle blogs.

Analysts see the total ban on OnlyFans as both symbolic and strategic. The platform, best known globally for hosting adult content creators who monetize direct-to-subscriber media, has become a flashpoint for cultural debates about sex work, free expression, and Western digital influence. Chinese authorities have increasingly framed platforms like OnlyFans as corrosive to public morality and traditional family values.

As of this latest action, users in mainland China attempting to access OnlyFans through VPNs are reporting complete service denial. Internet service providers appear to be cooperating with state directives to block traffic associated with the platform.

Globally, at least 16 countries have either banned or severely restricted OnlyFans on similar grounds, often citing violations of local obscenity laws. In the United States, the platform remains legal, but more than a dozen states have imposed varying degrees of restrictions, primarily through age verification laws and data privacy regulations.

The Chinese government has not issued a formal public statement naming OnlyFans specifically. Still, the ban is understood to be part of an expanding framework of internet regulation that includes the recently intensified oversight of fan cultures, celebrity behavior, and online gaming addiction among youth.

Digital rights advocates warn that the ban is another indication of narrowing space for online self-expression in China, particularly for women and LGBTQ+ creators who have found platforms like OnlyFans to be a rare source of autonomy and income.

Meanwhile, creators and consumers in China who had relied on VPNs to access the platform say they are now cut off entirely, with no immediate alternatives due to the country’s strict surveillance and censorship infrastructure.