The Popular Video Platform Reportedly Directs Children's Profiles to Explicit Material In Just a Few Taps

As reported by a new study, TikTok has been found to guide children's accounts to explicit material within a small number of clicks.

Testing Approach

A campaign organization set up test accounts using a birthdate of a 13-year-old and turned on the app's "restricted mode", which is intended to restrict exposure to inappropriate content.

Researchers discovered that TikTok suggested inappropriate and adult-themed search terms to seven test accounts that were created on new devices with no previous activity.

Troubling Search Prompts

Keywords recommended under the "you may like" feature included "provocative attire" and "explicit content featuring women" – and then progressed to keywords such as "graphic sexual content".

In three cases of the accounts, the adult-oriented recommendations were suggested immediately.

Quick Path to Pornography

Following just a few taps, the researchers came across pornographic content from women flashing to penetrative sex.

Global Witness reported that the content sought to avoid detection, typically by showing the clip within an harmless image or video.

Regarding one profile, the method took two taps after logging on: one tap on the search function and then one on the recommended term.

Legal Framework

The research entity, whose remit includes researching digital platforms' effect on human rights, reported performing several experimental rounds.

Initial tests occurred before the implementation of child protection rules under the British online safety legislation on July 25th, and another subsequent to the rules took effect.

Serious Findings

Investigators stated that multiple clips included someone who looked like they were below the age of consent and had been reported to the Internet Watch Foundation, which oversees online child sexual abuse material.

Global Witness asserted that the video platform was in violation of the digital protection law, which mandates tech companies to block children from encountering harmful content such as pornography.

Regulatory Response

An official representative for the UK communications regulator, which is charged with regulating the legislation, said: "We appreciate the research behind this investigation and will analyze its results."

The regulator's guidelines for following the law indicate that tech companies that present a substantial threat of presenting inappropriate videos must "configure their algorithms to block inappropriate videos from children's feeds.

TikTok's content guidelines prohibit explicit material.

TikTok's Statement

The video platform said that following notification from the research group, it had taken down the violating content and made changes to its suggestion feature.

"As soon as we were made aware of these allegations, we responded quickly to look into the matter, delete material that contravened our rules, and introduce upgrades to our search suggestion feature," said a spokesperson.