Tiktok could be suspended in Spain over child sexual abuse reports

Spain’s Ministry of Youth and Children has asked prosecutors to investigate reports of child sexual abuse material circulating on TikTok and raised the possibility of suspending the platform’s services in Spain.

The request follows an investigation by Spanish non-profit foundation Maldita.es, which reported finding more than 1,000 videos of suspected child sexual abuse material, attracting over 48 million views.

The ministry has written to the State Prosecutor’s Office asking it to take the measures needed to protect children who may be affected. Its submission suggests suspending TikTok’s services in Spain if considered appropriate.

The report does not announce a suspension or give a timetable for any restrictions. The ministry has only put the possibility forward for consideration.

According to Maldita.es, its investigation identified more than 20,000 profiles potentially linked to people seeking or exchanging child sexual abuse material, including over 7,000 operating in Spanish.

The foundation also reported finding 780 accounts using TikTok to attract buyers of such material.

Its findings included 91 livestreams featuring children across 17 countries, during which users allegedly requested actions, sometimes sexual, in exchange for money. Investigators also identified a community of more than 2,000 members seeking abusive material involving babies.

Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego has requested an urgent meeting with TikTok’s representatives in Spain to seek explanations and details of the measures taken, or planned, to protect children using the platform.

The ministry described the reported findings as extremely serious and called for an immediate, coordinated response from the relevant Spanish and European authorities.

It said the investigation pointed to serious shortcomings in content detection and moderation, as well as concerns about the role of TikTok’s recommendation systems in spreading the material.

The ministry believes these alleged failings could amount to a violation of children’s rights by the platform.

This is Maldita.es’s third investigation into TikTok’s alleged failure to act against child sexual abuse material. The foundation specialises in investigative journalism, information integrity and holding online platforms accountable.