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‘Profiting from misery’: how TikTok makes money from child begging livestreams

Digital media | The Guardian · Shanti Das · last updated

Exploitation fears as people in extreme poverty perform stunts and beg for virtual gifts

Three young children huddle in front of a camera, cross-legged and cupping their hands. “Please support me. We are very poor,” says a boy, staring down the lens.

They appear to be in a mud-brick hut in Afghanistan, living in extreme poverty. But their live stream is reaching viewers in the UK and worldwide – via TikTok Live.

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