A new lawsuit filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes alleges that TikTok is enabling the sexual exploitation of children through its livestreaming feature. The lawsuit, filed in Utah state court, claims that TikTok Live operates “like a virtual strip club,” where children may be encouraged by adults to perform illicit acts on camera in exchange for payments from viewers.
TikTok Live allows users to post live videos, interact with viewers, and respond to comments in real-time. Additionally, viewers can send monetary “gifts,” represented by colourful emojis, to livestream hosts. TikTok’s policy requires users to be at least 18 years old to host livestreams. However, the lawsuit contends that the platform has insufficient age verification and enforcement measures to ensure safe usage.
The complaint, filed Monday in Utah district court, asserts that TikTok has been aware of pervasive issues with transactional sexual content during live sessions, especially involving minors, since before December 2023. This awareness is based on user complaints and internal safety reports.
TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes responded to the allegations, stating that the platform has “industry-leading policies and measures to help protect the safety and well-being of teens.” He emphasized that creators must be at least 18 years old and meet a follower requirement to go live, and that TikTok revokes access to features for accounts that do not meet age requirements.
The Monday lawsuit is the second filed by Utah’s attorney general against TikTok for allegedly putting children at risk. In a separate lawsuit last year, Utah accused the app of harming the mental health of young users, mirroring similar claims from Arkansas and New York City against TikTok and other social media platforms. TikTok has repeatedly pushed back on claims that it is harmful to children’s wellbeing, saying it supports young users with various tools such as automatic time limits.
It also comes as TikTok faces a potentially existential threat in the United States after President Joe Biden signed a law that requires the Chinese-owned app to be sold to a new company or be banned from US app stores. TikTok has sued to block the law, claiming it violates the First Amendment.
The new Utah lawsuit, which is heavily redacted, claims TikTok has been aware of the misuse of its live feature but has failed to take adequate steps to address the issue. “In September 2022 … an investigator found that ‘within minutes of browsing the [LIVE] feed’ they were shown underage girls providing sexually suggestive content in exchange for money and young boys using filters to pose as girls to receive gifts,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit also alleges that children may be manipulated into sending monetary gifts to other users on the live feature, with the promise of “likes, shout outs, goods, or interactions” from livestream hosts. Utah’s attorney general is seeking a jury trial for the case.
