Tik Toker Zoe Laverne accused of grooming a 13-year-old boy

Zoe Laverne is among Tik Tok’s most popular rising stars with 18 million followers. She’s recently found herself in hot water after video footage surfaced where she appears to be kissing a 13-year-old boy. The problem? She’s 19 years old. Many online are now referring to her as a predator, as more and more evidence comes out that she may be in a full-blown relationship with the young boy. To add to the predatory power dynamic, the boy was allegedly also a fan of Zoe’s.

Laverne took to livestream to apologize for kissing the boy but denies any accusations of “grooming”. She claims that the underage boy became her best friend after originally being a fan, but this explanation has only seemed to add to the outrage over her actions. Critics across social media say this only makes the situation more predatory.

This situation has sparked a conversation online about why society treats female predators with kid gloves, while overlooking and often mocking male victims. If Zoe was a 19 year old male influencer who formed a relationship with a 13 year old female fan and then kissed her, there would likely be legal ramifications. This isn’t the case in the incident with Laverne, however.

Males, whether they are underage or adults, are statistically much less likely to report being victims of sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence. Female perpetrators of these crimes are also statistically given less harsh sentencings than their male counterparts. There seems to be a stereotype that women are not fully capable of rape or molestation, while males are incapable of being victims of these crimes.

You can watch my new YouTube video discussing all of this and more below.