TikTok employees repeatedly warned company executives about child safety risks, including sexual exploitation, exposure to suicide-related content, and weaknesses in parental controls, according to court records obtained by NPR. Depositions filed in March 2026 indicate that employees raised concerns internally but were frustrated with how company leadership responded.
The documents reported by NPR on October 20 are part of ongoing federal litigation involving TikTok and other major social media companies. The lawsuits allege that the platforms exposed minors to harmful content and failed to disclose known safety risks.
Employees Flagged Sexual Exploitation and Parental Control Loopholes
According to the court records, TikTok employees warned that minors were appearing in sexually explicit livestreams where viewers could pay to access content. Staff members raised concerns that the platform could generate revenue from potentially illegal activity involving children.
Employees also identified weaknesses that allowed underage users to access age-restricted content and conceal their activity from parents. Internal warnings additionally addressed recommendation systems that could expose young users to suicide-related material.
The documents indicate that TikTok avoided conducting surveys to determine users’ actual ages because executives were concerned the findings might have to be disclosed to the Federal Trade Commission. Such information could have raised additional questions about the company’s compliance with children’s privacy regulations.
TikTok Rejects Allegations About Its Safety Practices
TikTok disputed the portrayal of its internal operations, saying the reported statements were selectively presented and did not accurately reflect its safety efforts. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that the allegations misrepresented the company’s history and the protections available on its platform.
The company said it has invested billions of dollars in its Trust and Safety operations and introduced more than 50 preset safety, privacy, and security settings for teenagers. These include Family Pairing, which allows parents and guardians to manage aspects of their children’s TikTok experience.
Through Family Pairing, parents can adjust screen time limits, restrict certain content, and review selected account settings. TikTok maintains that these features form part of its ongoing efforts to protect younger users.
TikTok Faces Hundreds of Lawsuits Over Child Safety
TikTok is among several technology companies, including Meta, Google, and Snap, facing hundreds of lawsuits consolidated in federal court. The cases allege that social media companies designed products that harmed minors while failing to adequately disclose known risks.
TikTok has settled several lawsuits before trial, including a case in Los Angeles involving allegations of addictive platform design. In that trial, a jury found that Meta and Google’s YouTube had designed platforms that were addictive to young users.
The company also agreed to pay $8 million in May to settle a lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district over youth mental health and social media addiction. Separately, TikTok reached a $100 million settlement with Alabama in September over allegations involving addictive design and harmful content.
The employee depositions examined by NPR have not yet been presented as trial evidence in the cases against TikTok.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.