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According to a new study, TikTok has been observed to guide profiles of minors to pornographic content in just a couple of steps.

How the Study Was Conducted

Global Witness set up fake accounts using a date of birth for a minor and turned on the app's "restricted mode", which is meant to reduce exposure to inappropriate content.

Study authors discovered that TikTok proposed inappropriate and adult-themed search terms to the simulated accounts that were created on new devices with no search history.

Alarming Recommendation Features

Keywords suggested under the "you may like" feature included "very very rude skimpy outfits" and "very rude babes" – and then escalated to terms such as "explicit adult videos".

In three cases of the accounts, the adult-oriented recommendations were suggested immediately.

Rapid Access to Explicit Content

After a "small number of clicks", the researchers found adult videos including women flashing to explicit intercourse.

The organization claimed that the content attempted to evade moderation, usually by displaying the video within an harmless image or video.

For one account, the method took two taps after logging on: one interaction on the search bar and then one on the suggested search.

Legal Framework

The climate organization, whose scope includes examining digital platforms' effect on public safety, stated it carried out multiple testing phases.

One set occurred preceding the activation of safeguarding regulations under the British online safety legislation on 25 July, and a second set following the rules took effect.

Serious Findings

The organization stated that multiple clips showed someone who looked like they were under 16 years old and had been submitted to the child protection organization, which monitors exploitative content.

Global Witness alleged that TikTok was in breach of the UK safety legislation, which mandates social media firms to block children from viewing harmful content such as pornography.

Regulatory Response

An official representative for Ofcom, which is responsible for regulating the legislation, commented: "We value the research behind this research and will analyze its conclusions."

Ofcom's codes for adhering to the act state that online services that carry a medium or high risk of showing harmful content must "configure their algorithms to remove inappropriate videos from children's feeds.

The platform's rules prohibit pornographic content.

TikTok's Statement

TikTok announced that following notification from the research group, it had deleted the offending videos and introduced modifications to its suggestion feature.

"Upon learning of these allegations, we acted promptly to look into the matter, delete material that contravened our rules, and introduce upgrades to our recommendation system," commented a spokesperson.