Sweden's parliament has passed a law banning payment for sex performances to be viewed and interacted with online, including live sex performances on platforms such as OnlyFans, marking a major change in the country's legislation on purchasing sexual content. Under the new law, it will be illegal to pay someone to perform sex acts remotely, such as via live video, for the specific purpose of being viewed by the buyer.
The Act also criminalizes the use of others to engage in such conduct for profit or to promote such conduct.
"This is a new form of sex trafficking and we should modernize the legislation to include digital platforms," Social Democratic lawmaker Teresa Carvalho said after the bill passed overwhelmingly in parliament.
Watching and paying for pre-recorded content remains legal because the law targets only live, commissioned interactions, which lawmakers say blurs legal and ethical lines.
Some OnlyFans creators have criticized the law, saying it hurts their livelihoods. Carvalho responded that the law was not targeted at adult content creators but was intended to protect young and vulnerable groups. She noted there were documented links between online exploitation, human trafficking, drug abuse and grooming others into more serious forms of prostitution.
The bill was introduced by the parliamentary justice committee and has cross-party support.
With this legislation, Sweden is positioning itself at the forefront of regulating digital sex work, in line with its zero-tolerance stance on prostitution.
In Sweden, purchasing sex is punishable by up to one year in prison, while pimping is punishable by up to four years in prison.
The new law will take effect on July 1.