16:02Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Documents: TikTok Took a Cut from Adult Livestreams Featuring 13- to 15-Year-Olds
Despite warnings from former and current employees, TikTok is accused of profiting from illegal videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Documents disclosed in ongoing court cases point to serious safety gaps on the platform. According to employees, senior executives knew about the problems but failed to take sufficient action. The company currently faces hundreds of lawsuits related to child safety.
The documents state that children ages 13 to 15 appeared in paid adult livestreams. Viewers could purchase virtual gifts during these broadcasts that could later be converted into money. TikTok took a cut of those sales, earning substantial revenue from live videos featuring children. Employees warned management that this increased the risk of children being groomed and sexually exploited. Under the law, social media companies must report suspected child exploitation material and the possibility of illegal proceeds.
The platform’s age verification system could also be easily bypassed. Minors could circumvent the age restriction by signing up with a Facebook, Instagram, or Google account. A hidden link in the app allowed teenagers to leave Family Pairing, a feature designed for parental supervision. According to the documents, TikTok did not conduct surveys to determine users’ ages because it might have had to submit the results to the Federal Trade Commission.
Internal warnings also discussed posts related to suicide and self-harm. According to a report by a former head of safety, the algorithm’s repeated recommendation of harmful videos could also negatively affect other users. TikTok developed a feature in 2021 to reduce such repetitive recommendations, but concealed it from millions of users during testing. The documents state that a teenager included in the test died by suicide after repeatedly seeing videos related to self-harm.
TikTok said the allegations and examples selected from the court documents present a one-sided account of the events. According to the company, it has spent billions of dollars on safety systems and has more than 50 default safety, privacy, and protection settings for teenagers. One of these is Family Pairing, which allows parents to manage their teenagers’ use of the app. TikTok emphasized that it remains committed to protecting children’s well-being.
The company’s legal troubles have previously also ended in financial settlements. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, paid $400 million (approximately 680 million manats) in 2024 in a U.S. Department of Justice child privacy lawsuit. Last month, the company settled a $100 million (approximately 170 million manats) lawsuit in Alabama. Under the settlement, children’s daily usage time will be limited. In a U.S. survey of young people ages 10 to 19, only 14% of participants said they believed social media companies took reports of sexual harassment seriously.