TikTok has banned 20 accounts following an investigation that uncovered a disturbing network of AI-generated Black female influencer personas being used to funnel users toward paid, sexually explicit content.
The BBC, working alongside analysts from the independent AI publication Riddance, identified at least 60 accounts. The majority of the accounts were on Meta-owned Instagram, with several also active on TikTok.
In their investigation, the BBC and the analysts found these accounts featured highly sexualized AI-generated avatars of dark-skinned women.
None of the accounts labeled their content as AI-generated, in apparent violation of both Meta and TikTok community guidelines.
Account names used racialized language, including “ebony,” “noir,” and “dark,” with several posts making explicit references to white male audiences.
One manipulated video, featuring an AI-generated face overlaid onto the body of real Malaysian model Riya Ulan without her knowledge, accumulated 35 million views on TikTok and 173 million on Instagram, roughly 47 times more than Ulan’s original post.
Ulan claims she reported the account to both platforms multiple times before TikTok finally acted after the broadcaster’s inquiry.
Researchers described the trend as racist and exploitative, noting that AI tools now make it easier than ever to manufacture artificial skin tones and caricature Black bodies with no social consequences for the creator.
“I believe these accounts are racist because their existence perpetuates a long history of the exploitation of Black people,” says Angel Nulani, one of the researchers.
Following an inquiry from the BBC, TikTok banned the 20 identified accounts, stating it has zero tolerance for content promoting off-platform sexual services and prohibits unlabeled AI-generated content used without individuals’ permission.
“TikTok prohibits AI-generated content of individuals used without their permission; we have zero tolerance for content that promotes off-platform sexual services,” a spokesperson told the BBC.
However, these allegations aren’t particularly new.
Another study from last year revealed that TikTok videos featuring AI-generated imagery of minors in sexualized outfits or poses have collectively amassed millions of likes.
TikTok Kenyan History of Sexual Content
The episode lands especially close to home for Kenya. In March 2025, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) announced it was preparing a formal inquiry into TikTok after a separate BBC investigation alleged the platform was earning revenue from sexualized livestreams featuring Kenyan teenagers as young as 15.
The CA issued five formal demands to TikTok, requiring it to remove exploitative content involving minors, explain its moderation failures, and submit a plan to strengthen child protection mechanisms.
TikTok’s enforcement numbers in Kenya tell a story of a platform under pressure. In Q2 2025, the platform removed nearly 600,000 Kenyan videos for community guidelines violations, up from 450,000 in Q1 2025 and 360,000 the previous year.
READ: KFCB: TikTok Explicit Live Streamers to be Banned, Devices Blacklisted
Most recently, TikTok’s Q3 2025 report showed 580,000 Kenyan videos removed between July and September, with 99.7% caught proactively and 94.6% deleted within 24 hours. The same quarter saw roughly 90,000 Kenyan live streams shut down mid-session.
TikTok has been under regulatory oversight in Kenya since 2023, when the government ordered it to address content moderation failures, establish a local office, and publish quarterly compliance reports.
CA has already indicated it’s prepared to hand down sanctions and pursue legal action under both the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and the Films and Stage Plays Act.
Government scrutiny is also global. In February, Spain ordered a prosecutorial investigation into TikTok and other platforms over allegations that they facilitated the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
