TikTok, like many other social media apps like Instagram, allows users to host livestreams. This is where content creators get to interact with their viewers live. Unfortunately, it looks like TikTok has found itself embroiled in yet another lawsuit filed in Utah. This time, the lawsuit is alleging the exploit of minors during TikTok livestream videos that the company turned a blind eye to.
TikTok livestream exploit
A Reuters report claims that TikTok knew minors were being exploited on these videos. The lawsuit alleges that the company was aware that TikTok Lives was exposing minors to inappropriate messages from adults, but chose to still allow these events to take place.
This is due to the fact that TikTok “profited significantly” from these exchanges. For those unfamiliar, TikTok Live has a virtual gifting system. This is where viewers can purchase virtual gifts for content creators during a livestream to show their appreciation. Users can later exchange these gifts for real-world money. This gives creators another way of making money.
This system seems quite innocent on the surface. However, an investigation by TikTok itself called “Project Meramec” uncovered hundreds of thousands of children managed to bypass its age restrictions. This allowed these children to host their own livestreams and interact with adults. In some cases, these interactions apparently led to “nudity and sexual activity” in exchange for these virtual gifts.
Despite these activities taking place, the lawsuit claims that TikTok turned a blind eye to it. This was due to the profits it was making through the purchasing of these virtual gifts. TikTok’s algorithm favors these livestreams. As a result, these videos reached a much larger audience than usual.
TikTok refutes the allegations
To no one’s surprise, TikTok is refuting these allegations. The company was asked to comment on the lawsuit in which it issued a statement saying, “This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures that TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support community safety and well-being. Instead, the complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, which distorts our commitment to the safety of our community.”
The company added, “We stand by our efforts, which include: robust safety protections and screen time limits for teen accounts enabled by default, Family Pairing tools for parents to supervise their teens, strict livestreaming requirements, and aggressive enforcement of our Community Guidelines on an ongoing basis.”
This lawsuit is just one of the several ongoing legal issues the company is facing. Last year, the US DOJ announced plans to ban TikTok unless ByteDance was willing to sell it off.
US President-Elect Donald Trump has since stepped in asking the Supreme Court to delay the decision.
