When Megan Prescott joined the cast of Skins at 16, she felt like she’d landed her dream job. Fifteen years later, the teen actress-turned-OnlyFans-creator has shared that she was fully unprepared for the intensity of that early role and says that today’s industry needs to keep creating stronger protections for young performers.

Megan Prescott is 34 years old now. An actress, writer, and OnlyFans model, she runs a one-woman stage show, Really Good Exposure, at the Soho Theatre. She’s transitioned from being on a hit TV show as a teen into doing some pretty impressive independent work as well as digital content creation on OnlyFans. Her professional identity has evolved over the years, but one thing that’s certain is that she has more creative control over her work than she ever did during the Skins days.

In 2009, at the tender age of 16, Megan Prescott took on the role of Katie Fitch in Skins, alongside her twin sister Kathryn. At the time, Skins was considered groundbreaking for its unfiltered depiction of teen life. The show featured sex, drugs, teen pregnancy, and identity struggles, but the ethical lines were often blurred behind the scenes. Prescott has said that she “wasn’t prepared” for the intensity of shooting the show, and her co-stars have echoed similar feelings about a lack of safeguards being in place. Fellow Skins actors April Pearson, Kaya Scodelario, and Jack O’Connell have all expressed concerns about the lack of safety measures on the show, showing that Megan’s experience wasn’t an isolated one. Matters weren’t helped by the fact that Skins became a cultural phenomenon, creating even more pressure for the actors who were the ones bringing the stories to life.

Megan Prescott was only 16 years old when she was asked to portray highly sexualized material. At an age when her brain and emotional development were still in progress, she felt pressured to simulate explicit acts for the camera without the support of an intimacy coordinator, formal mental health support, or a solid legal safety net. Current industry practices couldn’t be more different. Intimacy coordinators must now be present for all intimacy work, psychological aftercare is available for actors involved, and there is greater transparency overall. Things have evolved in the 18 years since Prescott was on set for Skins, and the blurred boundaries between “realistic” artwork and exploitation of minors likely wouldn’t exist in a major television studio today.

Psychological safeguards matter for everyone where intimacy work is concerned, but they’re especially important when minors are involved. Early exposure to simulated sex scenes can negatively affect adolescent development, causing young people to experience difficulty separating their performance from personal identity. There is also an increased risk of teens experiencing unwarranted shame, anxiety, or trauma later in life. Without proper boundaries in place, the likelihood of exploitation also rises significantly. Megan Prescott’s experience is a case study showing how the lack of safeguards in film and television can have lasting psychological consequences for teens. Realism in storytelling doesn’t need to come at the expense of the well-being of young actors.

When it comes to her time on Skins, Megan Prescott feels pride in the cultural impact of the work she did but carries a heavy awareness of the personal cost. Since becoming an adult, she’s been intentional about moving toward work where she controls her boundaries: writing, theatre, and digital content creation on OnlyFans. Her stage show Really Good Exposure explores themes that reflect the struggles she faced while recovering from Skins: identity, autonomy, and personal empowerment.

Moving forward, Megan Prescott hopes to see continued improvements in the safeguards in place for teens in the entertainment industry, more open conversations about consent, and an increased focus on mental health support for all young actors. Megan’s story points to where the industry failed, but her outlook shows how the industry has the potential to be better.