Utah Lawsuit Alleges TikTok Exploited Children Through Livestreams

TikTok knowingly allowed its livestreaming feature to exploit children, connecting them to adult predators for profit, according to allegations in a Utah lawsuit.

Internal TikTok documents reveal the company was aware of the dangers posed by TikTok Live as early as 2022.

Newly unsealed materials, reported by Reuters’ Jonathan Stempel and Mike Scarcella, claim the app encouraged harmful behavior and ignored internal warnings.

The lawsuit, filed by Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection in June, accuses TikTok’s Live feature of operating as a “virtual strip club” that facilitated sexual exploitation of minors. State Attorney General Sean Reyes said TikTok profited from the feature despite clear evidence of its risks.

Internal TikTok documents reveal the company was aware of the dangers posed by TikTok Live as early as 2022.

An investigation, dubbed Project Meramec, uncovered that hundreds of thousands of 13-to-15-year-olds bypassed age restrictions to use the feature. Many were reportedly groomed by adults to perform inappropriate acts in exchange for virtual gifts.

These revelations come amid growing scrutiny of TikTok in the U.S., with a nationwide ban set for Jan. 19 unless ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based owner, divests its ownership of the app.