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cover of episode How TikTok makes money from sexual livestreams in Kenya

How TikTok makes money from sexual livestreams in Kenya

2025/3/4
logo of podcast What in the World

What in the World
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This chapter explores how TikTok, a popular social media platform in Kenya, has become a hub for young girls to earn money through provocative live streams, despite TikTok's strict content policies.
  • Half of the Kenyan population uses TikTok daily.
  • Live streams are used to earn money through viewer gifts.
  • Content becomes more provocative late at night, with young girls using coded language to solicit gifts.
  • TikTok has policies against underage and sexual content, but these are bypassed through coded messages and actions.

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Half of the Kenyan population use TikTok everyday. But when the sun sets, darker content appears on the platform. Girls as young as fifteen are advertising their bodies through livestreams and avoiding being caught by using coded messages. It’s a way for them to make money - but TikTok is also profiting, despite their strict rules on underage and sexual content.

BBC Africa Eye reporter Debula Kemoli has been to Kenya to investigate. She tells us what she uncovered, and shares insights from content moderators and the women and teens participating in the livestreams.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde