From The Verge · Jess Weatherbed · · 1m 40s
TikTok staff warned execs about child safety for months
Court records show employees repeatedly flagged sexual exploitation and harmful content, but senior leaders dismissed the severity of the risks.
In brief
Court records show employees repeatedly flagged sexual exploitation and harmful content, but senior leaders dismissed the severity of the risks. TikTok employees warned executives about child safety risks including sexual exploitation and harmful algorithms, but court records show leaders failed to act appropriately…
TikTok staff raised repeated warnings
Court records obtained by NPR show TikTok employees repeatedly warned executives about risks the platform posed to child safety, including minors bypassing age restrictions and appearing in sexual content.
The lawsuits connect multiple platforms
The depositions were filed in federal court in March as part of multi-district litigation started in 2022. It brings together hundreds of lawsuits against TikTok, Meta, Snap, and Google for knowing social media harms children.
Sexual exploitation on TikTok Live
Reagen Maher, a senior safety and investigations staffer from two thousand twenty-one to two thousand twenty-four, flagged transactional sexual content to then-CEO V Pappas.
Maher's frustration with leadership
Maher told a colleague in an internal chat that she had been fighting to fix the issue for months with people who did not think the harms were severe enough.
“I have been fighting about fixing this for months with people who didn't think the harms are severe enough.”
Harmful algorithm rabbit holes
Eric Han, TikTok's former head of safety, flagged harmful algorithm rabbit holes in two thousand twenty as having a real contagion effect regarding suicidal ideation and behavior in an internal report.
Parents left uninformed of dangers
Han said that despite flagging minor safety as an urgent issue TikTok must address effectively, the company failed to warn parents of potential dangers their children faced using the platform.
At a glance
TikTok employees warned executives about child safety risks including sexual exploitation and harmful algorithms, but court records show leaders failed to act appropriately on their concerns.
