Number of webcam models on the rise

A Newsbeat investigation's observed a rising number of British women are working as livecam models on the internet.

Market analysts say the overall webcam market is right now worth more than a billion pounds, with online sex displays a big part of it.

Industry insiders declare there's been a rise in applications, partly fuelled by the economic depression, with hundreds of British ladies signing up to UK websites each month, many more internationally.

They appear live on webcams that may be accessed on computers around the globe.

Men generally pay premium rates pertaining to the privilege.

Twenty-three-year-old Lauren's been operating as a webcam model for a few months.

Your woman works with a few other girls in a basement of a semi-detached house which has been converted big ass butt into a studio.

It's been furnished to resemble two different rooms. On one side there's a bed, one the other side of the coin a sofa.

Girls wear fancy underwear and headsets to talk to punters around the webcams. Lauren told Newsbeat she can make up to £ 30 per hour with bonuses.

"You can see right now, it is talking dirty. You already know, if they ask me to take my top off, I perfectboobs will perform. "

Big demand
It's a secretive international industry. Females can work from anywhere in the world, fronting naked and talking explicitly about sex.

Lauren
Lauren says she can make about £ 30 per hour being a webcam girl
Market analysts say total the webcam market grew from around £ 730m in 2006 to £ 1 ) 1bn in 2008.

It's predicted to almost double in worthy of again by 2015, with pornographic webcam sites driving a vehicle much of that growth.

They say it's more hidden from analysts than any other segments, but is a "lively" part of the market.

The most popular site is huge in size, claiming to have about 27, 000 webcam versions and 17 million members, with around 12, 1000 new sign-ups each day.

Brodie Fry build one of the websites. He advised Newsbeat the recession provides contributed to more women working while webcam models.

"A lot of women through this sort of economic downturn will move into the adult industry.

This puts gigantic pressure on women within the industry to perform more
Object campaign group
"This is known as a safe alternative to becoming a great escort or an adult version. There's total anonymity. Of course , the operators don't use their real names.

One site told Newsbeat in the last year it's put an additional 42 British women usually a month on its catalogs.

Richard Smallbone recently set his very own webcam site. He informed Newsbeat up to 150 Indian women are signing up to UK sites a month, with many additional joining international sites.

He said: "We started off with 12 profiles and there would be one lady working during the day.

"Eighteen months down the line, we now have 80 different profiles, anything up to 16 girls doing work during the day. "

'Enormous pressure'
But there are concerns. Campaigners say webcam girls could possibly be pressurised into doing factors they're not comfortable with.

Mobile phone
Mobile adult services are thought to be the next growth area
Anna van Heeswijk's from Object, which promotions against the sexual exploitation of women, said the industry must be better regulated.

"It is the man who also decides which women he wants to choose, depending on what she looks like and how she has willing to behave sexually.

"This puts enormous pressure on women in the industry to perform more and more severe versions of pornography in order to attract men, in order to make money. "

Lauren has no such worries. She said her priority is certainly her three-year-old daughter and insists she's not being taken advantage of.

"A wide range of my friends are working in apparel shops and stuff, they've already no money.

"I could do two adjustments in a week and Now i am still earning more money than they are and I get to devote an entire day to, every day, with my girl.

"I would not want to be at work all day and also have her in nursery. I just wouldn't be able to see her. "

It is not only on the internet where web cam models are becoming more popular.

Juniper Research anticipates that revenues from mobile adult services will rise from £ 1 . three or more bn in 2008 to £ 2 . 9bn by 2013 - part of that growth is from webcams on mobiles.