How TikTok is profiting from sexual exploitation of 15-year-old African girls

Blessed Frank-Tech next

A new?BBC Africa Eye?investigation has uncovered evidence of sexual exploitation of underage African girls. These girls, as young as 15, are being exploited into selling sexual content through?TikTok?live streams.?

The documentary, titled “Liked, Lured, Livestreamed: The Dark World of Digital Brothels,” aired on March 3, 2025, and exposes how the Chinese-owned social media platform is being used to advertise and negotiate payments for explicit acts, with TikTok allegedly profiting from the activity.

This has shed more light on a shadowy digital economy where young girls are lured into a cycle of exploitation under the guise of financial opportunity. It has equally raised serious concerns about the platform’s oversight and the vulnerability of underage users in Africa.

The investigation, led by BBC journalist?Deborah Lakemoli, features interviews with three Kenyan women who disclosed they began live-streaming sexual content as teenagers. They described using TikTok to openly market their services, drawing in viewers who pay through virtual gifts.?

These “gifts,” which viewers purchase with real money, can be converted into cash by the streamers, creating a lucrative but exploitative revenue stream for both the girls and the platform itself. The women, whose identities were protected, said they were lured into the practice by the promise of quick earnings amid limited economic opportunities in their country.

BBC Africa Eye found that TikTok’s platform enables this exploitation through its live-streaming feature, which is accessible to users as young as 13 with relaxed moderation compared to other content. The investigation alleges that TikTok retains a portion of the revenue from these virtual gifts, effectively profiting from the exploitation. In one instance, undercover reporters observed a teenager performing explicit acts live, prompted by viewer payments, with no apparent intervention from the platform.

One of the key findings of the documentary is the age of the participants. The three women interviewed stated they began live-streaming sexual content as teenagers, with some starting as young as 15. This revelation points to a significant failure in TikTok’s age verification and content moderation systems, allowing minors to engage in and profit from explicit activities.

The women explained that they were initially attracted by the promise of quick money in a country where economic opportunities for youth, particularly young women, are limited. However, what began as a means of survival quickly spiralled into a cycle of coercion and exploitation.

TikTok profiting from exploitations?

BBC Africa Eye’s investigation goes further to explore who is profiting from this digital underworld. While the girls earn a portion of the revenue from the virtual gifts, TikTok takes a substantial cut, up to 50% of each transaction, according to industry estimates cited in the documentary. This means that the platform is directly benefiting from the exploitation of its users, including minors.?

The investigation also uncovered evidence of “agents” or middlemen who recruit and manage the girls, taking a share of their earnings in exchange for coordinating the livestreams and ensuring a steady audience. These agents operate with impunity, leveraging TikTok’s lax enforcement to build what the documentary calls “digital brothels.”

The documentary includes firsthand accounts from the women, who spoke of the psychological toll of their experiences. One interviewee described feeling trapped after entering the live-streaming world.?

“You start because you need the money, but then it’s hard to stop,” she said.?

“People know you, they expect it, and you feel like you have no choice,” Another woman recounted how the constant pressure to perform increasingly explicit acts eroded her sense of agency, highlighting the coercive nature of the system.

Responses from TikTok were not detailed in the documentary, but the company has previously stated it employs advanced technology and human moderators to detect and remove violating content. The BBC’s findings, however, raise questions about the adequacy of these measures in protecting vulnerable users.

The investigation has sparked outrage among viewers and child protection advocates, who are calling for stricter regulation of social media platforms. In Kenya, where youth unemployment and poverty are pervasive, experts warn that without intervention, more young girls could fall prey to similar schemes.?

“This is a systemic failure,” said a Nairobi-based child rights activist interviewed in the documentary.?“TikTok must be held accountable, but so must governments and communities that leave girls with no other options.”

The investigation also underscores the broader societal challenge of safeguarding young people in the digital age, where economic desperation can intersect with unchecked online platforms.

BBC Africa Eye’s exposé builds on its reputation for hard-hitting investigative journalism, having produced over 100 documentaries across the continent. This recent report not only highlights the dark side of TikTok’s business model but also underscores broader issues of digital safety, economic disparity, and the exploitation of vulnerable populations.?

The investigation leaves little doubt: TikTok’s failure to curb this exploitation is not just a technical oversight but a moral one, with real human costs borne by some of Africa’s most vulnerable youth.

?

?