TikTok's algorithm recommends pornography to child accounts despite safety settings
Researchers from Global Witness reported that TikTok's recommendation algorithm suggested pornographic content and explicit search terms to test accounts created with 13-year-old birth dates, even with the platform's 'restricted mode' safety feature enabled. The content was allegedly reachable within a few clicks and appeared designed to evade content moderation. Ofcom, the UK regulator, said it would review the findings in relation to the country's Online Safety Act.
What happened
Researchers from Global Witness created four fake accounts on TikTok in late July and early August 2025, using birth dates indicating 13-year-olds and activating the platform's 'restricted mode' safety feature. Without conducting any searches themselves, the researchers found that TikTok's 'you may like' recommendation feature suggested overtly sexualised search terms including 'very very rude skimpy outfits', 'very rude babes', and 'hardcore pawn [sic] clips'.
Following the suggested search terms led to pornographic content within a small number of clicks. Content ranged from women flashing underwear or breasts to explicit videos of penetrative sex. Videos appeared to evade moderation by being embedded within innocent content. For one test account, pornographic material was reached in just two clicks after logging in, and two videos featured someone who appeared to be under 16 years old and were reported to the Internet Watch Foundation.
Reported impact
Global Witness stated that TikTok was not just failing to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content but was actively suggesting it to them upon account creation. The research suggests that the platform's safety systems failed to restrict children's exposure to pornographic material despite the 'restricted mode' being enabled.
Index analysis
The UK's Online Safety Act, which took effect on 25 July 2025, requires tech companies to prevent children from encountering harmful content such as pornography. Ofcom, the UK communications regulator overseeing the act, stated it would review the findings. Ofcom's codes require tech companies assessed as posing medium or high risk must 'configure their algorithms to filter out harmful content from children's feeds'.
Governance controls
TikTok stated it is committed to safe and age-appropriate experiences and took immediate action once it knew of the problem. The platform's 'restricted mode' is intended to prevent users from seeing 'mature or complex themes, such as sexually suggestive content'.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.