TikTok Faces Allegations of Profiting from Child Exploitation in Livestreams
TikTok has been accused of profiting from sexual livestreams involving teens as young as 15 in Kenya. Despite the platform’s ban on solicitation, it appears that TikTok is aware of these activities and takes a significant cut from livestream transactions. Moderators have reported that TikTok’s content moderation is limited and often fails to detect local sexual slang. The company has faced criticism for not doing enough to address child exploitation on its platform.
Livestreams from Kenya are popular on TikTok, with women performers dancing suggestively and using coded sexual slang to advertise sexual services. The emoji gifts act as payment for the TikTok livestreams and more explicit content sent later on other platforms. TikTok removes any obvious sexual acts and nudity, but the gifts can be converted into cash.
Moderators working on TikTok content have expressed concerns about the platform’s reliance on artificial intelligence, which they say is not sensitive enough to pick up on local sexual slang. They also reported that about 80% of livestreams flagged in content moderators’ feeds were sexual or advertised sexual services.
ChildFund Kenya and other charities have reported that children as young as nine are taking part in these activities. Teenage girls and young women have shared their experiences of spending up to six or seven hours a night on the activity and making an average of £30 a day. Some have been pressured into having sex with their pimps or meeting TikTok users for sex in person.
TikTok has responded to these allegations by stating that it has zero tolerance for exploitation and enforces strict safety policies. The company has also partnered with local experts and creators to strengthen its approach to content moderation. However, critics argue that TikTok is not doing enough to address the issue and that the platform’s moderation efforts are insufficient.
Kenya’s government has acknowledged the issue, with President William Ruto holding a meeting with TikTok’s CEO to call for better content moderation on the platform. Despite this, content moderators in Kenya have reported that more than 18 months later, there has been little progress in addressing the problem.
