An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has revealed that TikTok's restricted mode is failing to filter out disturbing AI-generated content.. The report highlights how graphic animations depicting violence and torture are reaching underage users despite safety settings.
The 10 billion view "AI slop" epidemic
The startup Director AI has reportedly leveraged AI-driven tools to generate more than 15,000 sinister video clips.. These videos, which Ben Chiang—a former Snapchat director—has referred to as "AI slop," have amassed a staggering total of more than 10 billion views. According to the investigation by The Mail on Sunday, these clips are algorithmically designed to be highly addictive, specifically targeting younger audiences through a network of approximately fifty different accounts.
Graphic animations of torture and "Kim Kardashian" surgeries
The content bypassing TikTok's filters includes highly disturbing imagery that exploits loopholes in moderation rules. one video, which has garnered over 120 million views, depicts a cartoon doctor using a drill to perform a face-gouging operation on a patient to make them look like Kim Kardashian. Other clips described in the report include a burglar attacking a woman and a harrowing scene of a mother using a hairdryer to electrocute an infant in a bathtub.
Ben Chiang’s defense of Director AI’s production tools
When questioned about the nature of the content, Director AI co-founder Ben Chiang argued that his company merely provides the video-production tools used by creators.. He stated that the creators themselves make the editorial decisions regarding where to publish their work and that TikTok is responsible for determining eligibility and filtering within its own restricted mode systems. Following the exposure by The Mail on Sunday, the age rating for the company's companion app, Reel AI,was updated after previously being listed on Google Play as suitable for children as young as seven.
The failure of the 14-year-old restricted mode test
The investigation raised several critical questions regarding the efficacy of TikTok's safety protocols. After The Mail on Sunday set up a 14-year-old account in restricted mode, the feed was still bombarded with content involving profanity, weapons, and sexual themes. it remains unclear why TikTok's moderation systems allow animated depictions of violence to slip through while banning realistic ones. Furthermore, while TikTok removed the specific videos cited in the report, the accounts responsible for the content remain active, leaving the long-term effectiveness of the platform's response in doubt.
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