Madrid:Spain's Ministry of Youth and Children has initiated a call for prosecutors to investigate the presence of child sexual abuse material on the social media platform TikTok. The ministry has also suggested the possibility of suspending TikTok's services within the country.
According to Anadolu Agency, the call for action follows a report by the Spanish nonprofit Maldita.es, which uncovered extensive child sexual abuse material on TikTok. This investigation documented 1,182 public posts containing explicit material over a 35-day period, which amassed 48 million views. The nonprofit highlighted that TikTok's search and recommendation tools facilitated the discovery of such content.
The ministry's letter to the attorney general's office emphasized the need for protective measures for children and mentioned the potential suspension of TikTok's services in Spain if deemed necessary. The organization, Maldita.es, reported that some explicit content was advertised using emojis or pixels to obscure parts of the images, while other accounts openly displayed explicit content, sometimes as profile pictures.
TikTok's reporting system was used by researchers to report a sample of 50 videos, resulting in the removal of five videos and the blocking of another 13 in Spain. However, many accounts responsible for posting explicit material remained active. Additionally, Maldita.es identified over 7,700 Spanish-language accounts involved in the distribution or promotion of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation extended to 91 livestreams by minors across 17 countries, where researchers observed viewers offering money to children in exchange for fulfilling certain requests, including some of a sexual nature. Maldita.es pointed out that TikTok's virtual gifts enabled viewers to make payments during these broadcasts, with the platform itself benefiting financially from these transactions.
Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego has requested an urgent meeting with TikTok's representatives in Spain to address the issue and discuss safeguards to protect children. The ministry has expressed concerns over TikTok's content detection and moderation systems, as well as the role of its recommendation system in spreading harmful content. Further findings from Maldita.es are expected to be published in the coming days, as the investigation continues to unfold.