In Utah’s second lawsuit against TikTok, which relies on original reporting by Forbes, the state claims that TikTok Live is “a seedy underbelly of sexual exploitation.”
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TThe state of Utah is suing TikTok, claiming that TikTok Live, considered one of the platform’s hottest and lucrative features, is getting used to sexually exploit children and teenagers, who engage in offensive and inappropriate acts in exchange for virtual gifts that might be exchanged for real money.
The lawsuit, which is predicated partly on the Forbes investigation, “How TikTok Live Became a ‘Strip Club Full of 15-Year-Olds’” — similarly describes the TikTok video streamer as a “virtual strip club” and “seedy underbelly of sexual exploitation.” Citing that reporting and extra internal TikTok materials supporting it, obtained under a subpoena for documents in a separate ongoing case, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and the state’s Division of Consumer Protection accuse TikTok of violating Utah’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and are demanding a jury trial.
“LIVE is anything but a safe place for users – especially children – and these dangers are no accident,” said the heavily edited 54-page grievancefiled with counsel from law firm Edelson PC. “The harmful and unscrupulous actions on LIVE stem directly from TikTok’s virtual in-app economy, which has already facilitated billions of dollars in transactions. Money is exchanged between users, stored in user accounts, and withdrawn from the platform with no oversight, even though TikTok controls the platform. This monetary system has fostered an alarming culture of exploitation and illegal activity.”
“You pay my bills.”
TikTok is facing an existential crisis within the U.S. after President Joe Biden signed a law banning the app nationwide early next yr on national security grounds unless China-based parent company ByteDance agrees to sell the platform to an American owner. But fears in regards to the dangers TikTok may pose to children precede that national security review, which exploded in Washington with the outbreak of the pandemicA yr earlier, the Federal Trade Commission reached an almost $6 million settlement with TikTok (then Musical.ly) for allegedly violating kid’s privacy – on the time a record civil penalty for the agency on this area. Forbes has since make clear the proliferation of kid sexual abuse material on TikTok, problems with how TikTok moderators handle such content, and the best way wherein TikTok Live is being misused to entice young girls to take part in raunchy and potentially illegal shows for adult men on the app.
In a TikTok Live, the next was described intimately: Forbes As a part of one investigation, a bralette-clad 14-year-old answered requests from strangers on a show with 2,000 listeners. Some offered “$35 for a quick look,” asked to see her feet and promised to send money to her Cash App. “They pay my bills,” the young girl told viewers.
In one other video, a young person slowly cut off her shirt with scissors while 3,000 viewers egged her on. “IF YOU DO THE BLACK PART I’LL SEND 35,000 TIKTOK COINS ($400) TO TIKTOK LIVE,” wrote one commenter, urging her to chop off her bra. In other TikTok streams, often filmed from the ladies’ bedrooms and bathrooms, they were offered financial rewards in the event that they kissed or spread their legs for the camera.
Viewers of the shows can purchase TikTok coins, which they will use to buy and send digital gifts to the livestream hosts. The virtual gifts seem harmless — they include flowers, hearts, ice cream cones and lollipops — but might be converted into money by the recipient. (Those who “go live” simply link their TikTok and bank accounts to exchange these things for real money.) But on lots of the a whole lot of TikTok livestreams hosted by Forbesthe gifts appeared to have been sent from adults to minors, which legal and law enforcement experts say can result in perpetrators grooming victims for sexual abuse and sextortion online or offline. The reporting prompted top Republicans in Congress to call a gathering with TikTok CEO Shou Chew for late 2022.
The Utah Attorney General’s office later filed the lawsuit “to stop TikTok’s exploitative monetization scheme and protect Utah’s youth,” the grievance said. It also alleged that TikTok will not be registered with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), as required under federal law. This implies that “every transaction that takes place on the platform circumvents regulatory systems designed to identify and stop sexual exploitation and other illegal activities, such as money laundering, terrorist financing, drug trafficking, and illegal gambling – abhorrent conduct that TikTok not only facilitates but from which it makes enormous profits.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said: “I find the new allegations against TikTok Live not only concerning, but incredibly disturbing.”
Do you will have a tip about TikTok or child questions of safety on social media? Contact Alexandra S. Levine securely via Signal/WhatsApp at (310) 526–1242 or by email at alevine@forbes.com.
TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in an emailed statement: “TikTok has industry-leading policies and measures in place to 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 certain follower requirement. We immediately block access to features when we find accounts that do not meet our age requirements.” (Utah said in its grievance that “these age restrictions are nothing more than empty policy statements” and that “TikTok’s age restriction is ineffective, and many children still participate in LIVE events every day.”)
Utah also claimed that what the corporate has said publicly on these issues, including its response to ForbesThe investigation into TikTok Live didn’t match what was happening contained in the company and was inaccurate in some cases, in keeping with internal documents reviewed by the attorney general’s office. (Example: Utah said TikTok’s claims about its policies and actions to guard teens, including blocking access to features for underage users, were false, however the grievance redacted internal information that explained this. Utah plans to ask the court to release the documents.)
“Our investigation has confirmed that TikTok is aware of the harm it is causing to young victims, but believes it is making far too much money to stop it,” said Utah Attorney General Reyes.
It is the second lawsuit the state has filed against TikTok. In October 2023, Utah sued the corporate over its addictive algorithm and other features designed to maximise the time young users spend on the app; TikTok filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and is awaiting a choice. Utah can be a part of a bipartisan group of attorneys general investigating TikTok’s alleged harms to underage users.
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