A report from the Campaign Group reveals that TikTok is guiding child accounts towards pornographic content within just a few clicks.

Global Witness activists created fake accounts using a birth date of 13 and activated the app’s “limited mode,” designed to reduce visibility to “sexually suggestive” material.

Researchers discovered that TikTok suggested sexual and explicit search phrases for seven test accounts established on new mobile devices with no prior search history.

The suggested terms under the “You May Want” feature included “very rude and revealing attire” and “very rude babe,” escalating to phrases like “hardcore porn clip.” Sexual search suggestions appeared instantly for three of the accounts.

After just “a few clicks,” researchers encountered pornographic material ranging from depictions of women to explicit sexual acts. Global Witness indicated that some content tried to evade moderation by appearing as innocuous photos or videos. For one account, access to explicit content required only two clicks: one on the search bar and another on a suggested search term.

Global Witness, an organization focused on climate issues and the implications of Big Tech on human rights, conducted two rounds of testing on July 25, one before and one after the Child Protection Regulation (OSA) was enacted in the UK.

Two videos featuring individuals who appeared under 16 were reported to the Internet Watch Foundation, tasked with monitoring online child sexual abuse material.

Global Witness accused TikTok of breaching the OSA, which mandates tech companies to shield children from harmful content, including pornography.

A spokesperson for the UK Communications Regulatory Authority, Ofcom, stated they would “support the study’s findings and evaluate the results.”

OFCOM’s compliance code stipulates that media promoting harmful content or high-risk tech companies must “design their algorithms to eliminate harmful material from child feeds.” TikTok’s content guidelines expressly prohibit pornographic material.

In response to Global Witness’s concerns, TikTok confirmed the removal of troubling content and modifications to its search recommendations.

“Upon recognizing these issues, we promptly initiated an investigation, eliminated content that breached our policies, and began enhancing our search proposal features,” stated a spokesperson.