TikTok boycott is back after company is found to have ‘profited significantly’ from child exploitation

An explosive BBC report has reignited discussion online over whether TikTok should be banned. TikTok returned to the Apple and Google app stores after President Trump paused a ban in the United States that was set to take effect in January. His administration says they’re exploring a domestic ownership deal.

Previous TikTok controversy revolved around the app’s owner, ByteDance, who U.S. lawmakers allege is tied to the Chinese government, creating a national security issue over the tremendous amounts of user data the app collects. This time, though, the BBC alleges the app sexually exploits children in livestreams for financial gain, speaking with three Kenyan women who say they started livestreaming for the app when they were teenagers.

Emoji gifts and TikTok livestreams

Okay let's ban it then

— Jolly Roger (@dontcallmeraylo) March 4, 2025

According to the BBC, TikTok doesn’t allow nudity or sexually explicit content in livestreams. However, TikTok users, who are often minors, and unscrupulous moderators worldwide, though especially in Kenya, circumvent those regulations by sending viewers coded messages. Viewers then pay the streamer with an “emoji gift” redeemable for real money. Users then arrange through private messages with the viewer to supply the explicit content through other, less-moderated platforms. The BBC estimates TikTok keeps up to 70% of emoji gift transactions.

Responding to the BBC’s explicit content and child exploitation report, TikTok said the app has “zero tolerance for exploitation.” A former moderator, however, said, “It’s not in TikTok’s interest to clamp down on soliciting of sex.” The more people give gifts on a livestream, the more TikTok revenue, the former moderator added.

Utah’s TikTok court case

A Utah court denies TikTok's motion to dismiss the state's second lawsuit, which alleges the company knowingly allowed the sexual exploitation of young people through the TikTok Live feature. Read the full press release here: https://t.co/zGpN0mX1s8 pic.twitter.com/FuycVEFbrY

— Utah Department of Commerce (@UtahCommerce) February 21, 2025

The BBC’s report comes as a Utah lawsuit went public with similar accusations against the popular app. Filed with Utah’s Department of Consumer Protection, the lawsuit alleges the TikTok Live function allows money laundering, drug dealing, and even funding of terrorist organizations. The suit also mentions child exploitation, similarly to what the BBC report describes. Utah-based TikTok legal proceedings are ongoing, according to Reuters.

In separate cases, 13 other U.S. states have filed similar suits against the social media giant. At least some contain allegations that TikTok profits from child sexual exploitation in livestreams, while some also target TikTok’s alleged effects on adolescent self-image and mental health.

Referring to the California suit against the app, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “TikTok cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits. TikTok intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.” Meanwhile, the Washington state suit against the company compares TikTok’s livestreaming and virtual currency to a virtual strip club “with no age restrictions.”

In response to the Utah suit, a TikTok spokesperson said, “This lawsuit ignores the number of proactive measures that TikTok has voluntarily implemented to support community safety and well-being.”

The spokesperson added, “Instead, the complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and outdated documents and presents them out of context, which distorts our commitment to the safety of our community.”