New Utah lawsuit claims TikTok Live feature puts children at risk

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TikTok, seen here in an illustration photo taken on 14 March, 2024, is facing a new lawsuit claiming that its livestream feature puts children at risk.Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

New YorkCNN — A new Utah lawsuit accuses TikTok of enabling the sexual exploitation of children through its livestreaming feature.

TikTok live allows users to post live videos to the platform, where they can interact with viewers and respond to comments in real time. TikTok also allows viewers to send monetary “gifts” — often represented by colorful emojis — to users conducting livestreams. TikTok does not allow users under the age of 18 to host livestreams.

But the lawsuit, filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes in state court in Utah, alleges that TikTok Live operates “like a virtual strip club” where children may be encouraged by adults to engage in “illicit acts” on camera in exchange for payments from other users. It also claims that TikTok has insufficient age verification and enforcement measures to ensure the app is being used safely.

TikTok has known since before December 2023 that there are “pervasive issues with transactional sexual content occurring during LIVE sessions, especially involving kids, through user complaints and internal safety reports,” the complaint, filed Monday in Utah district court, states.

TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement that the platform has “industry-leading policies and measures to help protect the safety and well-being of teens. Creators must be at least 18 years old before they can go LIVE, and their account must meet a follower requirement. We immediately revoke access to features if we find accounts that do not meet our 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.