Tik Tok Directed to Pull Down Sexual Content after BBC Report
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has reacted to a BBC expose which claims that social media platform Tik Tok is profiting from sexual livestreams in Kenya involving children.
In a statement, CA boss David Mugonyi says the BBC titled report dubbed "TikTok Profiting from Sexual Livestreams in Kenya Involving Children", published on March 03, 2025, raises serious issues regarding the exploitation of vulnerable individuals, including children, and the adequacy of content moderation on digital platforms operating within Kenya.
Kenya has robust laws in place to address online child protection, Mugonyi says.
He cited the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, which criminalizes online child exploitation and prescribes penalties for offenders and the The Films and Stage Plays Act (Cap 222) which mandates Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) to regulate and classify content to protect minors.
"The allegations contained in the report by the BBC constitute a violation of Kenyan and international laws and regulations governing online conduct and the protection of children," Mugonyi says.
CA has now directed Tik Tok to actively pull down all sexual content involving minors on their platform including on livestreams and launch a formal inquiry into the allegations raised in the report in collaboration with the relevant government agencies to identify any breaches of the law.
"We are directing Tik Tok to explain how offensive content is able to bypass its content moderation mechanisms. Tik Tok must also present a plan to show how they intend to enhance these mechanisms to strengthen child protection and prevent exploitation of minors on the platform, and demonstrate compliance with Kenyan and international law," the statement continues.
The allegations contained in the report by the BBC, Mugonyi says, constitute a violation of Kenyan and international laws and regulations governing online conduct and the protection of children.
Last year the government of Kenya directed TikTok to address its apparent content moderation challenges following calls to ban the Byte-Dance owned platform over inappropriate and offensive content.