Lil Tay Makes Over $1 Million on OnlyFans Within Hours of Joining

Lil Tay just turned 18 and wasted no time diving into adulthood by launching an OnlyFans account ... and she's claiming it shattered records within hours.

The rapper says she pulled in a whopping $1,024,298.09 in her first 3 hours on the platform -- appearing to beat Bhad Bhabie's record-setting debut, which earned $1,030,703.43 in 6 hours.

The move has sparked major backlash, with fans disturbed by the idea of a teen creating adult content so soon after turning 18 ... but Tay insists she was inspired by sex-positive celebs like Sydney Sweeney and Sabrina Carpenter, sharing it's about empowerment, not exploitation.

She even referenced Sweeney's controversial new American Eagle ad campaign -- which drew heat for over-sexualized imagery and an eyebrow-raising "great jeans" tagline some linked to eugenics -- saying people need to quit the hate and learn to appreciate.

Still, concerns are swirling over whether Tay may have uploaded content before she was legally of age -- or whether she's even truly 18 at all, given past speculation about her real age.