Predators have been known to lurk on social media apps like Tiktok to engage with young children inappropriately. The increasing glamorization and promotion of sugar dating and sugar dating websites on Tiktok is dangerous because there is a large demographic of young and impressionable users on the app. Young children (predominantly girls) are demonstrating and expressing a desire for sugar dating relationships (with older men) in order to live the lavish and luxurious lives that are being promoted by sugar baby lifestyle videos. There is lots of misinformation being spread on Tiktok regarding what sugar dating is like, such as the idea that sugar dating doesn't usually involve sex. In this Insider article, Srushti Upadhyay, a Phd candidate that published academic research on sugar babies, estimates that a maximum of 10% of sugar dating relationships don't involve sex, meaning 90% of sugar dating does involve sex in some way. The article also shares other sugar baby's perspectives on why promoting sugar baby life on Tiktok is a potential problem. The misinformation being spread is incredibly harmful, as young girls are not being told how dangerous sugar dating can be, and they are also wanting to participate in this lifestyle. 

The problem is that predators are taking advantage of this situation and using it as an opportunity to engage inappropriately with young girls (minors) online.

The BBC and many others have reported on multiple different cases where reporting a predator's account didn't do anything. This means that as an individual on the app, you have very limited power to protect young children from predators and inappropriate activity even if you report it to Tiktok.

As a community it is important that we step up and protect our children. We can do this by asking Tiktok for 2 changes: 

1a) To include warnings and restrictions for users that are underage on content that could be inappropriate for younger audiences, including but not limited to the promotion of sugar baby websites and "how to become a sugar baby" videos. 

1b) Remove videos promoting and relating to sugar dating from the 'For You Feeds' or 'For You Page' of minors. TikTok currently deems videos relating to cosmetic surgery as "ineligible for the FYF of all users under the age of 18" and keeps these videos from appearing on the suggested feed of minors.

2) Be vigilant with punishments towards predatory accounts by permanently banning the predators from the app as well as ensuring that these predators cannot make new accounts with the same email/phone number/device. 

These two actions could make the app a safer place for minors, and protect our children from content and individuals that are harmful. 

With your signature on this petition:

- Tiktok will see the need for greater content restrictions to protect children

- Children can be more free to use the app for fun and harmless entertainment

- Parents and guardians can have more peace of mind that the suggested content showing up on their children's 'For You Page' is safer

- Parents can rest assured that their children will not be interacting with accounts that have been previously reported for predatory behaviour

- Creators can be certain that if their content is not as appropriate for children that it will not be promoted to children

In the meantime, while we wait for Tiktok to implement these solutions, here are some additional actions that you can take: 

- Report inappropriate comments, content, and accounts 

- Educate those around you, especially youth, about the truth behind sugar dating

- Bring awareness to the problem of predators on Tiktok

- Set restrictions on your children's Tiktok accounts to filter out inappropriate content

- Share this petition

Let's make this change happen to protect children and ensure that Tiktok is a safer space for everyone.