TikTok employees said they knew about child safety issues, but execs failed to act
Court records say TikTok staff repeatedly warned executives about child safety risks, but employees felt the concerns were not addressed adequately. The disclosures matter because they add internal accounts to hundreds of lawsuits alleging that major social media companies knew their platforms could harm children and failed to disclose those risks.
The depositions were filed in federal court in March as part of litigation launched in 2022 involving TikTok, Meta, Snap and Google. Reagen Maher, who held senior safety roles from 2021 to 2024, said minors were engaging in sexualised activity on TikTok Live in exchange for virtual gifts convertible to cash, and that leaders knew of the issue. Former safety chief Eric Han said a 2020 report warned that algorithmic content pathways could contribute to suicidal thoughts and behaviour; he also said TikTok did not alert parents to potential dangers.
- Staff warned TikTok leaders about child safety risks.
- Concerns included sexualised livestreams involving minors and virtual gifts.
- A former safety chief also raised concerns about harmful content pathways.
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TikTok is a social media app where people watch and share short videos. Its Live feature lets users broadcast in real time, and viewers can send virtual gifts that may be converted into money. The app’s recommendation system selects videos for users based on what they watch and interact with.
The lawsuits involve TikTok and other large technology companies, including Meta, Snap and Google. They were brought in 2022 by people alleging that social media platforms can harm children and that companies did not properly disclose known risks. Court testimony from former TikTok safety staff concerns what company leaders were told about risks to young users.
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The case for
The employees’ accounts, if supported by the court record, suggest that TikTok had repeated warnings about foreseeable risks to children, including sexual exploitation on Live and harmful content pathways, yet did not respond adequately or alert parents. A platform with substantial reach among minors has a responsibility to act on credible safety evidence and give families enough information to protect children.
The case against
Depositions describe employees’ recollections and concerns, but do not by themselves establish what executives knew, what action was taken, or whether the platform caused the alleged harms; those questions require the wider record and legal process. TikTok could also argue that risks on a large, changing service are difficult to eliminate, and that its response should be judged against the measures and evidence available at the time.