Per findings from a fresh inquiry, the widely-used social media app has been found to direct children's accounts to adult videos within a small number of clicks.
Testing Approach
An advocacy group created fake accounts using a birthdate of a 13-year-old and turned on the platform's content restriction feature, which is designed to restrict exposure to inappropriate content.
Investigators found that TikTok proposed sexualized and explicit search terms to the simulated accounts that were set up on new devices with no prior browsing data.
Troubling Search Prompts
Keywords recommended under the "you may like" feature included "extremely revealing clothing" and "inappropriate female imagery" – and then advanced to keywords such as "hardcore pawn [sic] clips".
In three cases of the accounts, the adult-oriented recommendations were suggested immediately.
Quick Path to Pornography
Within minimal interaction, the study team came across explicit material from exposure to explicit intercourse.
Global Witness stated that the content tried to bypass filters, usually by presenting the clip within an benign visual or video.
Regarding one profile, the process took two taps after accessing the app: one click on the search bar and then one on the recommended term.
Legal Framework
Global Witness, whose mandate includes researching big tech's impact on societal welfare, stated it carried out several experimental rounds.
The first group occurred before the implementation of safeguarding regulations under the United Kingdom's digital protection law on 25 July, and another after the regulations took effect.
Serious Findings
Investigators added that several pieces of content featured someone who appeared to be a minor and had been reported to the child protection organization, which tracks online child sexual abuse material.
Global Witness alleged that TikTok was in breach of the digital protection law, which requires social media firms to block children from viewing inappropriate videos such as explicit content.
Official Reaction
A spokesperson for Britain's media watchdog, which is responsible for monitoring the act, stated: "We appreciate the research behind this study and will analyze its results."
The regulator's guidelines for adhering to the legislation indicate that online services that pose a substantial threat of presenting inappropriate videos must "adjust their systems to filter out dangerous material from minors' content streams.
The platform's rules ban adult videos.
TikTok's Statement
TikTok stated that following notification from Global Witness, it had taken down the problematic material and introduced modifications to its suggestion feature.
"As soon as we were made aware of these claims, we responded quickly to look into the matter, take down videos that violated our policies, and introduce upgrades to our recommendation system," said a official speaker.
