Lawsuit in Utah claims TikTok was aware of minors being exploited on livestreams

A recently unredacted lawsuit filed by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes alleges that TikTok Live streams were used to exploit children. The lawsuit claims that TikTok not only knew that minors were being exposed to inappropriate messages from adults during TikTok Lives but also profited from some of these interactions through the platform’s virtual gifting system.

Forbes’ investigation into TikTok Live led to TikTok’s internal review known as “Project Meramec,” which revealed that “hundreds of thousands of children” were bypassing age restrictions to host livestreams and engage with adults. Because TikTok receives a percentage of the revenue from digital gifts exchanged during livestreams, the company was implicated in profiting from “transactional gifting” involving explicit content. Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm reportedly prioritizes streams with virtual gifting, resulting in sexually exploitative content being distributed more widely.

The lawsuit also mentions another TikTok investigation called “Project Jupiter,” which discovered that the gifting feature on TikTok Live was being used for illegal activities such as money laundering, drug sales, and fraud operations. TikTok defended itself by highlighting the safety measures it has implemented, including default safety protections for teen accounts, parental supervision tools, strict livestreaming requirements, and vigilant enforcement of Community Guidelines.

Utah’s Attorney General initially filed a redacted version of the lawsuit in June 2024, following a previous case in 2023 regarding TikTok’s addictive design. This lawsuit is not the first time TikTok has faced scrutiny over child safety issues, with the FTC previously investigating the platform’s handling of child privacy. The app is currently facing a potential ban, which is under appeal in the Supreme Court due to concerns about its impact on children.



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