TikTok employees said they knew about child safety issues, but execs failed to act
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Newly reported court depositions detail TikTok employees’ warnings that minors could encounter age-restricted material and sexual exploitation on the platform, and that executives did not adequately address their concerns. The accounts add internal testimony to litigation over what social media companies knew about risks to children and whether they disclosed them.
The depositions were filed in March in federal court as part of multi-district litigation begun in 2022, which combines hundreds of claims against TikTok, Meta, Snap and Google. Reagen Maher, who held senior safety roles from 2021 to 2024, said minors were stripping on TikTok Live in exchange for virtual gifts convertible to money, while former safety chief Eric Han said a 2020 report warned of algorithmic “rabbit holes” linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Han also said TikTok failed to warn parents about potential dangers to children using the platform.
- Court filings reveal internal warnings about child safety risks on TikTok.
- Staff raised concerns about sexual exploitation on TikTok Live.
- A former safety chief also flagged harmful algorithmic 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 strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
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.