TikTok is launching an ‘adults only’ livestreaming mode

TikTok says the feature will be launched over the coming weeks

TikTok Warehouses (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

TikTok has announced an adults-only live streaming mode in new updates to its platform.

The mode, TikTok suggests, would be useful for “a comedy routine [that] is better suited for people over age 18” or “a host may plan to talk about a difficult life experience and they would feel more comfortable knowing the conversation is limited to adults,” it wrote in its news release.

TikTok says the feature will be launched over the coming weeks, but did not give a specific timeframe. Despite this new mode, TikTok is unlikely to move into more adult content.

The company’s guidelines forbid “nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content,” with the only major social media site allowing such content being Twitter. TikTok is also moving to forbid younger people from streaming.

Currently, TikTokers with at least 1,000 followers older than 16 can livestream, but on 23 November that will change to those over 18.

The company also brought out a few more minor changes to the livestreaming feature: users will now be able to include up to five other people in a multi-guest stream, and is updating its keyword filtering feature to send reminders for creators to moderate their comments.

While TikTok moderates its platform to ban adult content and other harmful videos, some of the platform remains highly sexualised and occasionally the company fails to address issues. A recent investigation found that Syrian families in camps have been begging for donations via its livestreaming tool with the company taking a huge cut of the money given, despite this being against its rules.

The trend is apparently being encouraged by “TikTok middlemen”, who give families phones and equipment to go live. They reportedly work in associated with agencies affiliated with TikTok in China and the Middle East.

TikTok said that “exploitative begging” was not allowed on the platform, and denied it took such as substantial chunk of the donation – but did not specify how much that was.

“We are deeply concerned by the information and allegations brought to us by the BBC, and have taken prompt and rigorous action,” TikTok said in a statement.

“This type of content is not allowed on our platform, and we are further strengthening our global policies around exploitative begging.”