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TikTok Begging in Syria

BBC News investigates a new trend on TikTok: hundreds of families in refugee camps in Syria, begging for gifts on TikTok livestreams.

BBC News investigates a new trend on TikTok: hundreds of families in refugee camps in Syria, begging for gifts on TikTok livestreams. Young children go live for hours at a time, asking for help in the form of TikTok gifts with real cash value. But, as reporter Hannah Gelbart finds out, the phones and TikTok accounts they're using don't belong to them. A network of middlemen, from China to the Middle East, is pressuring these vulnerable families to go live - and up to 70% of the gifts given, go straight into TikTok's pockets.

23 minutes

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Boxing Day 202222:30GMT

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  • Sat 15 Oct 202201:30GMT
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