The Utah lawsuit alleges that TikTok knew that children were being exploited on live broadcasts
Broadcasts on TikTok Live were used to exploit children, according to a newly settled lawsuit filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok not only knew that TikTok Lives was exposing children to messages from adults, but that the company also benefited directly from other exchanges through TikTok Live’s virtual gifting program.
Following an investigation by Forbes to TikTok Live, TikTok has done its own update called “Project Meramec,” according to the suit. The company found that “hundreds of thousands of kids” were getting around TikTok’s age restrictions, catching live streams and interacting with adults.
Because TikTok included a portion of its digital gift sales in live broadcasts, the company was technically monetizing “gifting” the “nudity and sex work” that took place during the broadcast. And since TikTok’s algorithm favors live streams where virtual gifts are exchanged, the lawsuit says, some of these sexually harassing streams were also distributed more widely than they otherwise would have been.
The lawsuit describes another TikTok investigation, “Project Jupiter,” which looks at how the TikTok Live offer is being used for money laundering. As it turns out, it was. According to the lawsuit, the company discovered that “criminals were selling drugs and conducting fraudulent activities” during the live broadcast.
When contacted for comment, TikTok shared the following statement:
This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures that TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support public safety and well-being. Instead, the complaint selects misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, distorting our commitment to the safety of our community.
We stand by our efforts, which include: stronger security protections and screen time limits for youth accounts that are automatically enabled, Family Matching tools for parents to guide their teens, stricter streaming requirements, and stronger enforcement of our Community Guidelines on an ongoing basis.
Utah’s AG filed an amended version of the case in June 2024, following a separate 2023 suit about the addictive design of the TikTok app. The Utah case is not the first time the company has come under scrutiny for its handling of child safety. The FTC investigated TikTok’s handling of children’s privacy, and the app’s ban — now headed to the Supreme Court on appeal — was pushed back a bit because of concerns about how the social video app could be used to influence children.
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