A new, unredacted lawsuit filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says TikTok Live streams were being used to exploit children. According to the complaint, TikTok not only knew that TikTok Live was exposing minors to messages of concern from adults, but also directly benefited from some exchanges through TikTok Live’s virtual gift system. It is said that
According to the complaint, in response to Forbes’ investigation into TikTok Live, TikTok conducted its own investigation called “Project Meramec.” The company found that “hundreds of thousands of children” are circumventing TikTok’s age restrictions, hosting livestreams and interacting with adults.
TikTok pockets a portion of the sales of digital gifts on its livestreams, so the company is technically profiting from “transactional gifts” surrounding “nudity or sexual activity” that occur during the stream. That means that. And because TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes livestreams where virtual gifts are exchanged, some of these sexually exploitative streams were distributed more widely than they otherwise would be, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit details TikTok’s other investigation, Project Jupiter, which investigated whether TikTok Live’s gifting feature was being used to launder money. As it turns out, it was. According to the complaint, the company discovered that “criminals were selling drugs and engaging in fraudulent activity” during the livestream.
When asked for comment on the lawsuit, TikTok issued the following statement:
This lawsuit ignores the many positive steps TikTok has taken voluntarily to support the safety and well-being of its community. Instead, this complaint cherry-picks and presents misleading quotes and outdated documents out of context, distorting our commitment to community safety.
We offer robust security and time limits for teen accounts that are enabled by default, family pairing tools for parents to supervise their teens, strict live streaming requirements, and an ongoing community. We support efforts such as active implementation of guidelines.
Utah’s AG filed a redacted version of this lawsuit in June 2024, following another lawsuit in 2023 regarding the addictive design of the TikTok app. The Utah lawsuit is not the first time the company has come under scrutiny over its handling of child safety. The FTC is investigating TikTok’s child privacy practices, and the app’s ban is currently on appeal to the Supreme Court due to concerns about how the social video app could be used to influence children. However, it has been partially postponed.
