TikTok is being used by some Fijian content creators to earn money through sexual acts, offensive dares and abusive exchanges during live broadcasts in return for virtual gifts that can be converted into cash.
The activities are raising concerns about children’s exposure to the content – as the Online Safety Commission acknowledges gaps in its powers to investigate and regulate online harm.
The gifts, including donuts and galaxies, are sought by creators competing to attract viewers and earn rewards.
Some live broadcasts feature adults in explicit acts, swearing at one another during online games, couples kissing or performing sexualised dares, and older and younger users exchanging insults at the request of gifters.
Videos have also shown children copying this behaviour, including swearing at other users based on their TikTok handles.
Other broadcasts have shown people drinking and smoking while live, with some involving domestic violence.
In disturbing instances, viewers have appeared to treat violence against women as entertainment.
Some participants claim they can earn up to $200 a day through the livestreams, although these earnings have not been independently verified.
With children among TikTok’s users in Fiji, questions have also been raised about how effectively they are protected from inappropriate content and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to prevent their exposure to explicit livestreams.
This newspaper sought Online Safety Commissioner Filipe Batiwale’s views on content creators using TikTok to perform sexual acts for financial gain through virtual gifts, and he said the Online Safety Commission lacked comprehensive regulatory powers to oversee social media platforms, compel access to platform information or impose administrative penalties for breaches of safety obligations.
“The Commission does not presently have a comprehensive regulatory framework enabling systematic oversight of social media platforms, compulsory access to platform information or administrative penalties for breaches of platform safety obligations,” he said.
“There is an important distinction between identifying a concern and having the legal authority and technical capability to investigate it, obtain evidence or compel a platform to act.”
Mr Batiwale said effective investigations required specialist training, appropriate investigative powers, forensic equipment and cooperation with law enforcement agencies and service providers.
“If we want effective investigations, we must ensure that the institutions responsible have the legal tools, technical capabilities and resources to carry them out.”
Questions along with 16 links to videos and pictures containing explicit content were sent to the relevant government ministries for comment but remain unanswered.
