Utah AG Accuses TikTok of Knowing Minors Were Being Groomed on ‘Live’
TikTok is fighting wars on multiple fronts. Not only is it locked into a fight for its life with the federal government as it waits for its day before the Supreme Court next week, but it also has the Attorney General of Utah breathing down its neck. Bloomberg acquired a redacted version of a lawsuit filed by the state’s leading prosecutor that alleges TikTok knew that its Live streaming feature was a breeding ground for all sorts of illicit content and harmful behavior, including grooming children.
The lawsuit reveals two internal investigations that TikTok launched into the activity on its Live platform. The first, Project Meramec, found that there were underage users performing sexualized acts on livestreams, done in exchange for virtual gifts given to them by viewers.
At the time of the investigation, TikTok policy forbade users who were 16 years old or younger from broadcasting on Live, and it prevented users under the age of 18 from sending or receiving virtual gifts that could be redeemed for money. However, enforcement of that fell short: the company’s internal review found that 112,000 underage users hosted livestreams during one single month in 2022. On top of that, the company found that its algorithm was boosting sexualized content, so those underage streamers were likely being recommended to viewers. There’s no real reason to wonder why that was happening: TikTok gets a cut of every virtual gift purchased. Users who get more gifts also generate more revenue for TikTok.
