According to a new report from adult industry market research firm SWR Data, cam-based creators “appear to be much better insulated from the ‘War on Porn’ than other creators.”
In the latest report published by the research group, SWR Data found that “by nearly every metric, creators who base their businesses in camming were more optimistic about their businesses, had more stable incomes, and were less impacted by issues like social media censorship, content restrictions and age-verification-related traffic declines.”
The new report, “The Case for Camming,” investigates the role livestreaming plays in the creator economy. According to the report, around 2 in 5 creators (39%) use some sort of live streaming as part of their adult business, while about 1 in 6 (15%) make it their primary source of income. The data come from SWR’s annual State of the Creator survey of over 550 adult creators conducted in late 2025.
“While no creator is immune from the attacks on our industry, we’re seeing a bit of a safe harbor for cammers,” explained Mike Stabile, co-founder of SWR Data. “Because platforms drive traffic to them, they’re less dependent on social media, and less at risk from deplatforming and changes in the algorithm. This helps explain why strong, internal traffic has become so important to creators.”
Stabile’s SWR co-founder, MelRose Michaels, said there’s “so much competition on social media and there’s no better way to gain a following than going on cam.”
“You build an audience from the traffic, you get to know the industry and your fans,” Michaels added. “It’s real-time market research with an established audience. There’s nothing like it.”
The Case for Camming report is the latest installment in SWR’s ongoing State of the Creator Report, which uses data to “understand the changing creator economy.” Stripchat sponsored the report, which the firm said allowed SWR to “go deeper into the data than it might normally be able to, but had no editorial control over the post.”
“We’re glad to have platforms like Stripchat that are willing to support this type of research,” Stabile said. “Not only does it help us get crucial information to creators, it helps us raise money for nonprofits that serve creators. This year, we’ve been able to donate nearly $10,000 to sex worker groups and hope to increase this over the coming year. We all benefit from a strong, informed community.”
The Case for Camming report is available now on SWR Data’s Substack.
