19-year-old Zoe Laverne, who has almost 18 million followers on the TiKTok app and is known for her videos since 2016, has apologized because she "had feelings" for a 13-year-old fan, after a video posted on social media , where the two appeared kissing.

In a live broadcast and in the comments on social networks, Laverne apologized for her actions, but denied having "abused" the 13-year-old.

"The term used exactly was 'grooming,' which refers to building an emotional relationship with a child or young person, to manipulate, exploit and abuse them," according to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).

Laverne said she and the boy in question, named Connor Joyce, became good friends, but she realized age is a bad thing after the video of their kiss was filmed.

On October 24, the messages of a former friend of Laverne and her ex-boyfriend were published. In conversations, her ex-girlfriend wrote:

"I left because of her interactions with Connor. They became very intense and it 's something I can not chew. He is a pedophile. "

A few days later, the video of Laverne and Connor kissing exploded on social media.

The 13-year-old is also known on TikTok with around 400,000 followers. He has been collaborating with Laverne on several videos, but she has already stated that they have cut off contact.

"I did not abuse Connor, I would never do that. He is a child and I am aware of that. We were both at a bad time in our lives. We became friends and had feelings. This is not a bad thing. But, yes, age is a bad thing. It's wrong. We understood that and we stopped. "

 Connor also agrees with this statement and he also stressed that Lavene "did not rape him".

Before addressing her audience on a live broadcast, Laverne posted other apologies on social media, including one indicating she was going into therapy.

People do not seem to be convinced by Laverne's "statement". They say "you can not have feelings for a minor" or that "Laverne must be in prison".

Laverne's actions follow a string of allegations of sexual misconduct against high-level influencers at TikTok.

In June, photographer Bryant Eslava apologized for the nude photo requests he had made to the girls.

In August, TikTok star Tony Lopez apologized for sending clear sexual messages to minors, writing that he "immediately stopped" after learning they were minors.

Source: Insider