AI-generated short-form dramas featuring explicit content, including incestuous and fantastical sexual scenarios, are appearing on children's TikTok feeds, according to a report by the AI detection firm Copyleaks. These micro-dramas, which originate from China's burgeoning vertical short-drama industry, are often advertisements for apps that experts say may enable the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes.
The $14 billion Chinese industry floods social media platforms with short, addictive, and frequently explicit content. TikTok's PineDrama is among the platforms where these videos appear, alongside Chinese-based apps like ReelShort and DramaBox. When users engage with an entire "episode," TikTok's algorithm may serve them more similar content. Unlike some other platforms, TikTok does not currently offer a "kids" filter, meaning this content can reach users as young as 13, the platform's minimum age requirement.
Reports indicate that a significant portion of TikTok's user base falls within the 13-17 age range, with younger demographics also heavily represented. Accounts with seemingly innocuous names can post numerous explicit AI micro-dramas, often directing users to download associated apps. The content has been observed to include interpersonal violence alongside sexual themes.
Copyleaks CEO Alon Yamin stated that many of these apps appear to promote or facilitate the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, sometimes using AI to generate content that simulates the appearance of real individuals without their consent. His firm identified nearly 50 apps in the Apple App Store that generate sexually explicit deepfakes. Apple confirmed to The Post that it had removed three apps cited in Copyleaks' report and stated that "nudification" apps violate their guidelines.
According to Copyleaks, virtually all of these apps were advertised on TikTok, with ads often being sexual in nature and demonstrating how the apps could be used to create deepfakes. Some ads led to websites offering templates for nonconsensual AI deepfakes. Another TikTok series promoted an erectile dysfunction cure that redirected users to deepfakes of celebrities with explicit imagery.
Many of these apps reportedly prevent users from taking screenshots or recordings, making it difficult to report violations. Experts warn that exposure to such content can cause lasting psychological harm to children, including anxiety, shame, and distorted views on relationships and sex. There are also concerns that AI-generated content, which does not involve real actors who can consent to harmful storylines, may further normalize and increase the accessibility of explicit material.
In response to an inquiry from The Post, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the referenced videos were either removed, had their distribution limited, or were found to be user-uploaded content not currently running as ads. TikTok's advertising policies prohibit sexually explicit content and services intended for sexual pleasure. The company also noted that content flagged as violent or sensitive is not eligible for recommendation on the "For You" feed. However, experts like Yamin suggest that AI programs might still evade content moderation or algorithmic filters if not properly labeled.