Is TikTok profiting from sexual content in Kenya? CA launches probe
By Sinda MatikoThe Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) has launched a formal investigation into allegations that TikTok has been profiting from sexual content on livestreams involving teenagers.
In a public notice on Thursday, the CA said it has also ordered the Chinese-owned social media company to remove all adult content involving minors from the platform, including on livestreams.
CA’s directive follows a damning report published by the BBC on March 3, 2025, which alleged that TikTok was profiting from sexual livestreams performed by teenagers as young as 15 in Kenya.
In its expose, the BBC said it spoke to three women in Kenya who said they began the activity as teenagers, adding that they used TikTok to openly advertise and negotiate payment for more explicit content to be sent through other messaging platforms.
“In some of the live streams we watched, coded sexual slang was used to advertise sexual services. The emoji gifts act as payment for the TikTok livestreams and – because TikTok removes any obvious sexual acts and nudity – for the more explicit content that is later sent on other platforms. The gifts can be exchanged for cash.” The BBC reported.
The BBC also revealed that while TikTok prohibits solicitation, moderators on the platform admitted that the company knows it takes place and takes a cut of about 70 percent of all livestream transactions.
Livestreams from Kenya are popular on TikTok – we found up to a dozen every night over a week, with female performers dancing suggestively, watched by hundreds of people around the world.
The CA, which is mandated to regulate the country’s communications sector, says these new allegations suggest that significant gaps remain in TikTok’s enforcement of its policies against solicitation and exploitation.
“The report alleges the involvement of minors in the sale of sexual content via live streams on TikTok, with the platform reportedly retaining a significant commission from the content,” the regulator said.
“These allegations raise serious questions about the exploitation of vulnerable individuals, including children, and the adequacy of content moderation on digital platforms operating in Kenya.”
The regulator said it is therefore directing TikTok to explain how offensive content is able to evade its content moderation mechanisms and to submit a plan to show how it intends to improve the mechanisms in place to strengthen child protection on the platform.