TikTok Unveils New Features Following BBC Investigation Into App’s Profits from Teens’ Inappropriate Content

TikTok Introduces New Parental Controls Following BBC Exposé on Teen Exploitation

Days after a BBC investigation alleged that TikTok was profiting from livestreamed sexual content involving teenagers, the social media platform has responded by rolling out new parental control features aimed at enhancing child safety.

TikTok’s Kenya team announced that these updates are designed to help families foster healthier digital habits for teens by increasing parental oversight while promoting mindful screen time.

The new tools include:

• Time Away Scheduling – Allows parents to set custom screen-free periods (e.g., during school, bedtime, or family time). Teens can request extra time, but parents have the final say.
• Expanded Family Visibility – Enables parents to see who their teen follows, who follows them, and block accounts, encouraging open discussions about online interactions.
• Proactive Reporting Alerts – If a teen reports inappropriate content, they can choose to notify a trusted adult, even without Family Pairing enabled.

The move comes after TikTok faced intense scrutiny in Kenya following the BBC’s damning report, which claimed the platform was profiting from livestreamed sexual content involving minors as young as 15.

In response, the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) launched a formal investigation into the allegations and ordered TikTok to remove all adult content involving minors, including from livestreams.

The BBC report featured interviews with three Kenyan women who said they started engaging in explicit activity as teenagers, using TikTok to advertise and negotiate payment for more explicit content on other messaging platforms.

Additionally, the CA demanded that TikTok explain how such content bypasses its moderation systems and submit a plan detailing how it will improve its mechanisms to better protect minors.