Streams on TikTok Live were used to exploit children, according to a newly unexpurgated trial filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. The lawsuit says that TikTok was not only aware that TikTok Lives was exposing minors to disturbing messages from adults, but that the company also directly profited from certain exchanges through TikTok Live’s virtual gifting system.
Following a investigation by Forbes In TikTok Live, TikTok conducted its own study called “Project Meramec,” according to the suit. The company found that “hundreds of thousands of children” were bypassing TikTok’s age restrictions, hosting livestreams and interacting with adults.
Since TikTok pockets a portion of the sale of digital gifts in live streams, the company was technically making money from “transactional gifts” rather than the “nudity and sexual activity” that occurred during broadcasts. And because TikTok’s algorithm favors livestreams where virtual gifts are exchanged, the lawsuit says, some of these sexually exploitative streams were also distributed more widely than they otherwise would have been.
The lawsuit details another TikTok investigation, “Project Jupiter,” which sought to determine whether TikTok Live’s gifting feature was being used to launder money. It turned out to be the case. According to the lawsuit, the company observed “criminals selling drugs and conducting fraudulent operations” during live streams.
When contacted for comment on the lawsuit, TikTok shared the following statement:
This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support the safety and well-being of the community. Instead, the complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, which misrepresents our commitment to the safety of our community.
We are maintaining our efforts, which include: robust security protections and screen time limits for teen accounts enabled by default, family matching tools allowing parents to supervise their teens, strict streaming requirements direct and aggressive enforcement of our community guidelines on an ongoing basis.
Utah AG filed redacted version of this lawsuit in June 2024following a different costume of 2023 regarding the addictive design of the TikTok application. The Utah lawsuit is not the first time the company has faced scrutiny for its handling of child safety. The FTC investigated TikTok managing children’s privacyand banning the app — now headed to the Supreme Court on appeal — was partially pushed due to concerns about how the social video app could be used to influence children.
