Meg Bonnie posts videos claiming she receives £3,500 and admits she is now 'using' her situation to 'generate income'

A single mum claims she lies about how much she receives on Universal Income to "rage bait" social media users, earning her thousands on TikTok.

Meg Bonnie says she began to get 'online hate" when her social media followers realised she was receiving universal credit after she turned 18 in 2023.

The 21-year-old says she only started "playing into" the trolls when a video about having her second child on benefits in 2025 got over eight million views.

After the viral clip earned her enough money to buy all her baby stuff, Ms Bonnie realised it was the fact she was a single mum on benefits with two children that had caused her to go viral.

Despite receiving "about £800 a month" in benefits, Ms Bonnie now posts videos claiming she receives £3,500 and admits she is now "using" her situation to "generate income".

She claims clips, which she shares to more than 200,00 followers on her TikTok channel, are now earning her thousands.

Ms Bonnie, who is from Nottingham, said: "About a year ago I was having people complaining saying that they're going to work [only] for [me] to sit at home getting thousands each month, when in reality I get about £800 a month.

"When he [her son] was a baby, I would have lots of people asking me questions, and obviously I would answer these questions. Over time people grasped that I wasn't out working and I was at home on universal credit and that's where all the hate started."

She continued: "That's where I started receiving a lot of hate from people and I decided to use that and monetise it instead. I didn't start playing into it until I was pregnant with my daughter, I posted a video that got about eight million views of me just saying I was on universal credit, just become a single mum.

"I wanted people to share the videos so I could earn some money and from that video I managed to pay for all my daughter's stuff.

"From that point I obviously got a lot of hate from that and I kind of started playing into the titles like 'come and clean my council flat', 'this is what I bought on universal credit'."

Ms Bonnie, who has "part-time ragebaiter" in her TikTok bio, claims the video that received eight million views generated her just under £2,000.

She explained that how much she earns will depend on how much interest her videos get online.

Ms Bonnie, who is mum to Kayden, three, and Elaia, one, said: "The more people that comment the more it [a video] gets pushed by the algorithm. It helps push it out more.

"The video that blew up that got 8 million overall gave me just under £2,000 but that was split over two months because of when it was, whereas the video I made the other day, about £700.

"There's a lot of stereotypes and I play into them, that's no secret, I do play into the stereotypes."

She continued: "[I get] just a lot of comments about how the benefits system needs to be stopped, what's wrong with this country, that their dads should be paying for them, I've got no life goals or aspirations, they're going to be so proud of me when they're older but obviously that one is sarcasm.

"I don't really mind those ones, those ones don't bother me, I did have a lot of comments on a video several months ago where people instead of coming for the situation were coming for the way I look, my weight, how my children look and that obviously upset me a little bit."

Despite saying she has 'thick skin' when it comes to online trolls, Ms Bonnie does admit that she does want to move away from generating hate for money.

Ms Bonnie, who has described some of her videos as satire, said: "I tried to steer away from it a little bit and go back to just making mum content because I lost joy in it for a while because people were just angry with me."

Hundreds of commenters express their opinion on Ms Bonnie's benefits on her videos, but are split over whether they are pleased or enraged about it.

One commenter said: "You're getting more than I will as a Doctor starting in August."

Another commenter said: "I get it. It's rage bait for engagement but I'd never use my kids to bait anyone on social media. Each to their own I guess."

A third added: "Lucky you! I work 60 hours a week and don't get that much a month !!"

However, a fourth said: "As a working mum, this doesn't bother me at all. Well looked after children! Xx."