The Wall Street Journal investigation reveled TikTok #foryou page algorithm recommends sexually explicit and drugs addiction content to as young as 13 years old users. As the bots scrolled through the for you page they lingered on some videos.

Adult content on #Foryou page accessible for aged 13 to 15 users

The investigation registered number of automated bots ages between 13 and 15 found that TikTok provided the accounts with number of videos promoting alcohol, drugs, and sexual fantasies, including some depicting caregivers and children. As per the investigation experiment, a 13-year-old bot user searched for #onlyfans and watched a handful of videos including selling pornography on the China-based social media app.

How TikTok #foryou works?

The content shown on the for you page is set based on previous searches, as well as the content types most often viewed or that a user spends most time watching. The more the user lingered on sexual content, the more sexual content was shown in the for you page – despite the users age being set in their profile.

TikTok response on adult content to minors

The app doesn’t currently differentiate between videos served to adult and children accounts, but we are working on a new filter tool to restrict content for minors.

TikTok Spokesperson