Spain Considers TikTok Suspension Over Child Sexual Abuse Material
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MENAFNThe ministry sent a formal request to the attorney general's office seeking action after an investigation by Spanish nonprofit organization Maldita.es revealed extensive amounts of child sexual abuse material circulating publicly on the social media platform.
Officials reportedly proposed a possible nationwide suspension of TikTok “if deemed appropriate,” citing the seriousness of the findings.
The investigation, released Monday, identified 1,182 publicly accessible posts containing explicit child sexual abuse material over a period of 35 days. According to the organization, these posts accumulated approximately 48 million views, while TikTok's search and recommendation features helped investigators locate the content.
The researchers found several methods used by accounts distributing the material. Some users concealed portions of explicit images with emojis or pixelation while advertising complete videos for purchase. Others published explicit images without concealment, including as profile photographs.
Investigators also discovered accounts displaying non-explicit photographs of children to attract users to channels where child sexual abuse material was being traded, sold or shared.
“What is clear is that content we once associated with the darkest corners of the internet is now in plain sight,” Maldita.es wrote.
To assess the platform's response, researchers submitted a sample of 50 videos through TikTok's internal reporting mechanism. The company removed five videos and restricted access to another 13 within Spain, the organization reported.
The investigation identified 231 accounts that had published explicit material, but 136 of them were still operating on Oct. 15, when the research period ended. One video attracted more than four million views before TikTok blocked it in Spain, although the account responsible for posting it remained active when the findings were released.
Researchers also identified more than 7,700 Spanish-language accounts whose users claimed to possess child sexual abuse material, sought to obtain it or offered to distribute it.
The investigation further examined 91 livestreams featuring minors in 17 countries. According to the findings, some viewers offered children payments in exchange for carrying out various requests, including sexual ones, while broadcasting from their homes or schools.
The nonprofit also raised concerns about TikTok's virtual gifting feature, which allowed viewers to send payments to children during livestreams while generating revenue for the platform itself.
Following the revelations, Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego requested an urgent meeting with TikTok's representatives in Spain. She wants the company to explain its existing child protection safeguards and outline the immediate steps it intends to take to prevent further abuse.
Ministry representatives described the findings as “of extreme gravity” and called for Spanish and European authorities to coordinate their response. They also pointed to possible weaknesses in TikTok's content detection and moderation systems, alongside concerns that its recommendation algorithms may have contributed to the distribution of abusive material.
Maldita.es has submitted its findings to prosecutors specializing in cybercrime and announced plans to release additional information in the coming days.
TikTok requested further details when approached about the investigation. However, the nonprofit said the company had not responded to questions concerning its child safety policies or the specific allegations before the report was published.
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