Spain Considers TikTok Ban Amidst Alarming Child Abuse Video Investigation

Spain is contemplating a suspension of the popular social media platform TikTok following an independent investigation that uncovered over 1,000 child sexual abuse videos, which collectively garnered 48 million views. The Spanish foundation Maldita.es reported detecting more than 20,000 profiles suspected of pedophilia, with 7,000 of these originating from Spain, during a 35-day monitoring period in September and October. This non-profit organization, dedicated to combating disinformation and promoting transparency, also alleged that TikTok's algorithm amplifies content from minors and profits from their exploitation.

"Abuse is not hidden away in a little corner and it is not hard to find," stated Clara Jimenez Cruz, co-founder and chief executive of Maldita.es. The investigation, titled "TikTok: Home to predators," involved analyzing profiles, comments, and live broadcasts, as well as creating test accounts to observe algorithmic responses. Maldita.es reported that within just three days, the algorithm recommended 19 livestreams by minors, including 15 in a single morning, all broadcast from schools. In one documented case, TikTok recommended a livestream from a 10-year-old girl in Spain, who received suggestive comments from an adult male during the broadcast.

"Not only are [children] objectified, but they’re also asked to perform sexualised actions in exchange for TikTok gifts in the form of objects or animated animals that cost the user money," Maldita.es reported, adding that the platform allegedly takes a portion of these payments, though the exact amount remains unclear. Spain’s Ministry of Youth and Children has formally requested explanations from TikTok and has not ruled out suspending the platform, which is owned by the Chinese parent company ByteDance. Minister Sira Rego has called for an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain and has asked prosecutors to take action regarding alleged child sexual abuse cases on the platform.

The Maldita.es investigation identified 231 profiles posting 1,183 explicit items of content, 780 accounts used to solicit buyers, and over 10,000 accounts requesting exchanges of sexual images in comments. In total, the foundation reported detecting approximately 26,000 accounts of suspected pedophiles, details of which have been shared with authorities. "Material you would expect to find only on the dark web is on TikTok," Maldita.es stated. "The findings of this investigation seriously call into question the effectiveness of TikTok’s measures against child abuse, and also point directly to its platform features being actively exploited by child predators." The organization noted that following the publication of its findings, TikTok had removed only one-tenth of the flagged content and blocked a quarter of illegal posts in Spain.

TikTok is currently facing numerous lawsuits and investigations concerning allegations of failing to protect minors, claims the platform denies. Separately, the European Union has instructed TikTok to modify the design of its personalized "For You" feed, warning of significant fines under the bloc’s digital content regulations if changes are not made.