Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 2 hrs ago
Court filings detail TikTok staff warnings about risks to children
TikTok employees repeatedly raised child safety concerns with company leaders, according to court records obtained by NPR.
The concerns included minors appearing in sexual content on TikTok Live, where viewers’ gifts can be converted into money.
Staff also warned that young users could bypass age restrictions and encounter harmful content, including material linked to suicide.
The depositions, filed in federal court in March, describe employees’ frustration with how leaders responded to these concerns.
TikTok and Meta, Google and Snap face hundreds of lawsuits alleging their platforms harm minors and that the companies failed to disclose known risks.
TikTok has settled some cases, while the wider lawsuits remain in federal court.
Court records show that TikTok employees repeatedly warned executives about risks to children on the platform.
The concerns included minors appearing in sexual content and bypassing age restrictions.
Staff also raised concerns about harmful algorithmic content linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviour.
The records say employees were frustrated with executives’ responses, and a former safety head said TikTok failed to warn parents about potential dangers.
The depositions were filed in federal court in March 2026 as part of litigation involving hundreds of lawsuits against social media companies.
- Who
- TikTok employees and executives, including former safety staff.
- What
- Employees warned executives about risks to children, including sexual exploitation and exposure to harmful content.
- When
- The depositions were filed in March 2026. Some concerns described in them date to 2020.
- Where
- In federal court; the specific court location is not stated.
- Why
- Employees raised concerns about child safety risks on TikTok. The records say they were frustrated with how executives responded.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Former TikTok head of safety Eric Han said he was concerned about harmful algorithmic rabbit holes.
Reagen Maher held senior safety and investigations positions at TikTok.
Depositions from TikTok employees were filed in federal court.
TechCrunch and The Verge reported on the court records obtained by NPR.
- Deposition filing
- March 2026
- Litigation began
- 2022
- Lawsuits
- Hundreds, consolidated in federal court
- Reagen Maher’s TikTok roles
- 2021–2024
- Other companies named
- Meta, Snap and Google
3 sources
What people are saying
I have been fighting about fixing this for months with people who didn’t think the harms are severe enough
Put simply, senior leaders know about this issue. There are some ongoing projects to fix parts of it, and frankly, I’m hoping [that] this article puts a fire behind other potential solutions.
minor safety is an urgent issue that we must address effectively