Warning: Images contain graphics that are suggestive, sexual and promote partial nudity. Reader discretion advised.
Social platforms that offer viral video content in vernacular languages are a rage among the growing section of first-time internet users in India. However, a large number of these apps have users (both creators and consumers) that post content that are borderline sexual and inappropriate. While the presence of adult content on the internet is not new, abrupt or surprising, what strikes out is the perception of these apps, and the impact that it can have on young, impressionable, first-time internet users.
It is exactly this that the Madras High Court attempted to impose a ban on TikTok over. The premise for its ruling stated that the social video platform had an overwhelmingly large user base of young individuals aged below 18, who were addicted to content that appeared pornographic, lewd and with sexual undertones. This was deemed detrimental to the mental health of a young consumer, thereby setting the wrong precedent of social interaction in them. After a brief period and a legal hearing, TikTok was cleared for operation, and reinstated on both iOS and Android stores.
Apps with sexual undertones
TikTok was far from being the only platform that could have been blamed for being addictive, brashly targeting viral usage and with content that incites misleading social construct with hints of sexual intent. Nonolive (iOS/Android, Free), which is described as a ‘game live streaming and video chat’ app, has over 10 million downloads, and a rating of 4.1 from over 200,000 reviews on the Play Store. An in-game advertisement for the app shows scantily-clad women with blurred-out faces, and a description in Hindi that says, “Ladkiyon ke saath chat karein” (chat with women through the app).
Another such app, Vigo Video (iOS/Android, Free), appears to be an even bigger phenomenon — with over 100 million downloads on the Play Store and a rating of 4.3 from 670,000 reviews. It is advertised as ‘funny social videos’, allowing content creators to share their work through personalised feeds, be featured on Vigo’s own social handles and become “famous”. Upon downloading, the app does not even compel to login, and instead shows a ‘For You’ feed. Among other content, some of the videos suggested themes such as lap dances and fellatio. Interestingly, SensorTower data reveals that Vigo Video is actually the mass market product of TikTok’s parent ByteDance itself, which markets the app in 83 countries and earned over $100,000 in revenue last month.
‘Likee’ (iOS/Android, Free) is another such platform, with over 100 million downloads on the Play Store and a rating of 4.6 from over 2 million reviews. Like Vigo, it too does not compel a user to sign in, and the content remains similar. It is run by Bigo Technologies, which also owns and operates the massively popular (and now more regulated) Bigo Live app. Another such app is ‘Kitty Live’ (iOS/Android, Free), which has a relatively smaller pool of users (with 5 million downloads). One of its promotional videos is labeled as ‘the best live streaming in Southeast Asia’, set on a backdrop of women, only. Other apps that seem to offer content on the same lines also include VMateStatus and MCat.
No age restrictions
Interestingly, these apps seem to be very lax about setting an age restriction on who can access the content. On the Google Play Store, Vigo Video, Likee, Kitty Live and Nonolive are all rated for users aged 12 and above. In comparison, Apple’s iOS App Store appears to be more stringent, with Likee, Kitty Live and Nonolive all restricted to users aged 17 and above.
However, the ByteDance-backed Vigo Video app is listed on iOS for users aged 12 and above, which is strange, seeing that the premise of all of these apps are similar in nature. In its age rating description on the App Store, the developers have mentioned “Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes, Sexual Content and Nudity” as a clause, thereby at least giving users a disclaimer for the kind of content that a user may be exposed to. On the Google Play Store, there is only a statutory warning that reads ‘parental guidance recommended’.
The second issue here is even more alarming — barring Kitty Live, none of the above-mentioned apps required a compulsory sign-up process, thereby not applying any sort of age restriction filter, or any filter at all. It almost qualifies as an instant setup process — simply download the app, and start watching any video you feel like. While theoretical age restriction filters at the signup process are not the most secure authentication filter, it still provides a layer of screening that may prevent many users from being exposed to content that qualifies under “sexual”, “suggestive” or “nudity”.
Regulations to the rescue
It is important to consider TikTok’s legal fiasco in India for the precedent it set. The Madras High Court’s ruling concluded that TikTok’s content was, in fact, not sexual in nature. It also stated that the platform was aware of the problems of its viral expansion, and had put in place ample regulations that would reasonably prevent online harassment to its users.
However, it failed to address the infamous “grey area” in content regulation and policies, which mandate that as long as a piece of user-generated content is willingly shared, and is not vividly sexual, misleading, offensive or violent, it should be permitted space on open, public forum. It is this that the aforementioned apps operate on — almost all of the content that is created and shared on the platform are by users themselves.
An example of comments spotted on one creator’s live feed: