Norfolk, Va. - Most college students receive financial aid or get a job during their college years in order to pay for school, but according to a new study, millions of students nationwide are paying for their tuition by selling themselves as sugar babies to older men and women.
More than 100 students at a local university are currently paying for school by spending their free time as sugar babies.
As a sugar baby, students get paid thousands of dollars to provide company to older men and women, sometimes even more than twice their age.
Sugar babies themselves admit the payoff is grand.
"I have done made about $1,500 in a month that's more than me working two jobs like I did in senior year of high school." This student didn't want to be identified but says she has been a sugar baby since October.
But is the payoff worth it? Or is becoming a sugar baby putting students into a dangerous situation?
"Aside from potential sexual assault I think psychologically going in and into that I think it could have a lot of long lasting detrimental effects," explained Haley Raimondi, Lead Victim Advocate at Samaritan House, a domestic violence resource group.
Tonight on NewsChannel 3 at 11, Allison Mechanic looks into the alarming trend gaining in popularity.
