According to reports from the BBC, TikTok is generating revenue from sexual livestreams featuring teenagers as young as 15.
Interviews with three women in Kenya revealed that they embarked on this activity during their teenage years. Sources revealed that TikTok was a platform for openly advertising and negotiating payments for more explicit content, which would be shared through other messaging services.
TikTok has implemented a ban on solicitation, yet internal moderators have revealed to the BBC that such activities continue to occur on the platform. Recent findings indicate that TikTok retains approximately 70% of all transactions made during livestreams.
TikTok told the BBC that it maintains a “zero tolerance for exploitation policy.”
In Kenya, TikTok has become a hub for popular live streams, particularly featuring women performers who engage in suggestive dance routines. Over the course of a week, our observations revealed that each night, up to a dozen such streams attracted hundreds of viewers from across the globe.
At two o’clock in Nairobi, TikTok Lives is bustling with activity.
As music reverberates through the air, users engage in animated conversations while a woman activates her camera to showcase her twerking and striking provocative poses. Emoji “gifts” flood the screen.
Contact me directly for Kinembe, everyone. “Tap, tap,” the performers repeat in unison. The phrase “Tap, tap” has gained popularity on TikTok, urging viewers to engage by liking a live stream.
The term “Kinembe” translates to “clitoris” in Swahili. The phrase “Inbox me” prompts viewers to send a private message on TikTok, often containing specific and explicit requests, including watching the performer engage in masturbation, stripping, or participating in sexual activities with other women.
During several of the livestreams observed, coded sexual slang emerged as a method to promote sexual services.
The emoji gifts serve as a form of payment for TikTok live streams. Due to TikTok’s strict policies against overt sexual acts and nudity, they also facilitate the exchange of more explicit content on other platforms later on. The gifts have the potential to be transformed into cash.
“It’s not in TikTok’s interest to restrict the solicitation of sex – the more users give gifts during a livestream, the greater the revenue for TikTok,” states a former moderator from Kenya, who we are identifying as Jo, among the over 40,000 moderators that TikTok claims to employ worldwide.
Pay attention to TikTok and the digital influencers: Eye Investigates – a production by BBC World Service.
Recent findings reveal that TikTok continues to retain approximately 70% of the revenue generated from livestream gifts. The company refuted claims of taking a substantial commission, despite findings from a 2022 investigation that indicated otherwise.
TikTok has been cognisant of child exploitation occurring in its livestreams, having conducted an internal investigation in 2022. However, the platform allegedly overlooked the issue due to the substantial profits it generated from such content, as stated in a lawsuit filed by the state of Utah last year.
TikTok has stated that the ongoing lawsuit overlooks the “proactive measures” the platform has implemented to enhance safety.
According to the charity ChildFund Kenya, the country has become a significant center for this type of abuse, driven by a youthful population and extensive internet access. The charity highlighted that the African continent generally experiences inadequate online moderation compared to Western nations.
Jo, a former employee of Teleperformance, which TikTok contracted for content moderation, revealed that moderators receive a reference guide detailing prohibited sexual words and actions. Jo argues that this guide is overly restrictive and fails to consider the nuances of slang and other provocative gestures.
Observations indicate that the subjects’ poses, particularly with the camera focussing on their cleavage and thighs, suggest an intention to solicit sexual attention. While they may remain silent, it’s evident that they are hinting at their account on another platform, yet there seems to be little recourse available.
A content moderator for Teleperformance, Kelvin, highlights that TikTok’s growing dependence on artificial intelligence (AI) poses challenges for moderation. He argues that the AI lacks the sensitivity to recognize local sexual slang effectively.
Jo and Kelvin are among seven current and former content moderators who have expressed their concerns regarding TikTok content moderation. According to Jo, approximately 80% of the live streams identified by content moderators were either sexual in nature or promoting sexual services, and TikTok acknowledged the extent of the problem.
According to reports from ChildFund Kenya and various charities, children as young as nine are reportedly engaging in these activities.
Interviews with teenage girls and women reveal that many dedicate six to seven hours each night to the activity, earning an average of £30 daily—sufficient to cover a week’s food and transport costs.
I promote myself on TikTok. I perform in the nude. “I do that because that’s where I can earn money to support myself,” states a 17-year-old identified as Esther. In a struggling neighborhood of Nairobi, approximately 3,000 residents rely on shared toilet facilities. She states that the financial assistance enables her to purchase food for her child and support her mother, who has faced difficulties in covering the rent since the passing of Esther’s father.
At the age of 15, she was introduced to TikTok Lives by a friend, who assisted her in circumventing the platform’s age restrictions, which are set for users over 18. To access the live streaming feature, users must have a minimum of 1,000 followers.
TikTok users with substantial followings have emerged as facilitators of digital commerce, hosting livestreams that offer sexual content for sale. A number of users appear to maintain backup accounts, suggesting a history of bans or suspensions from TikTok.
They seem to have mastered the art of avoiding detection by TikTok’s content moderators, all while creating just enough sexual teasing to capture the attention of potential customers.
A pimp instructs a woman twerking on screen, “When you’re dancing, move away from the camera. Otherwise, you’ll get blocked.”
The women provide a portion of their earnings to pimps in exchange for being hosted.
Esther warns that the relationship has the potential to become exploitative in a short period. She claims that her digital exploiter was aware of her age, stating, “he prefers to work with young girls.”
She claims he pressured her to increase her earnings, translating into a demand for more frequent live streaming. Additionally, she asserts that he took a more significant percentage of her earnings than she had anticipated.
“In a recent transaction involving an emoji valued at 35,000 Ksh (£213), the distribution reveals that one party retains 20,000 Ksh (£121), leaving the other with a mere 15,000 Ksh (£91).”
She describes her experience working for him as akin to being ” handcuffed.”You find yourself in pain as he reaps the most significant benefits, while it is you who has been exploited.”
Sophie, a pseudonym for the young woman, revealed that she began live streaming on TikTok at 15. She recounted receiving requests from men across Europe for services on third-party platforms, including one particularly alarming interaction with a German user who insisted that she engage in explicit acts for payment.
At the age of 18, she expresses regret over her involvement in online sex work. According to her, several videos she shared with users on different platforms were subsequently uploaded to social media without her permission.
She informed the BBC that her neighbors discovered the situation and cautioned other young individuals against associating with her.
“I am labeled as a lost sheep, and young people are warned I will lead them astray.” Loneliness often accompanies my daily life.
Several girls and women interviewed reported being compensated for in-person meetings with TikTok users for sexual encounters. In contrast, others described experiencing pressure to engage in sexual activities with their pimps.
TikTok is eager to solidify its presence in African markets; however, content moderators in Kenya have reported that the company is not hiring sufficient staff to oversee content moderation adequately.
In a notable development, the Kenyan government has begun to address the growing concerns surrounding content moderation on social media. In 2023, President William Ruto convened a meeting with TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, to advocate for improved oversight of the platform’s content. The government announced that the company has consented to stricter regulations, including establishing a TikTok office in Kenya to facilitate operational coordination.
However, the moderators we interviewed indicated that, more than 18 months later, neither of those outcomes had occurred.
In a statement, Teleperformance emphasized that its moderators “work diligently to tag and flag user-generated content based on community standards and client guidelines.” The company also noted that its clients’ systems do not permit Teleperformance to remove inappropriate material or alert law enforcement authorities.
A representative from TikTok stated to the BBC: “TikTok has zero tolerance for exploitation.” The organization implements stringent safety protocols, featuring comprehensive Live content regulations and moderation services in 70 languages, such as Swahili. Additionally, it collaborates with local experts and creators, including the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, to consistently enhance its strategies.
