Spain asks regulator to temporarily suspend TikTok over child sexual exploitation material

The suspension request and the ministry's position

Spain's Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, on Tuesday approached the country's data protection agency with a request to temporarily suspend TikTok's operation in Spain. The move followed an investigation by the non-profit organization Maldita.es, which uncovered a large volume of child sexual abuse material on the platform. Anadolu reports on this.

What the Maldita.es investigation revealed

The investigation, published on Monday, lasted 35 days. Researchers documented 1,182 public posts containing child sexual abuse material, which had garnered more than 48 million views, as well as more than 200 accounts distributing such content. Some accounts used slightly altered images to advertise the sale of such material, while others posted explicit images openly; photographs of children were also documented being used to direct users to channels where the material was bought, sold or traded. Of the 50 videos the researchers reported, TikTok initially removed five and blocked another 13 in Spain. In addition, 91 violations of the platform's rules by minors hosting live streams were documented; according to Maldita.es, some viewers offered children money to fulfill sexual requests, and TikTok's virtual gift system allowed payments to children during broadcasts — the organization claims the platform profited from these transactions.

The response of the authorities and the company

After meeting with TikTok representatives, Rego described the requested suspension as an exceptional measure and said she had also proposed that the company suspend the service voluntarily. 'It is not for the government to decide whether TikTok should be suspended as a precautionary measure. If the decision were ours, it would have been blocked yesterday,' she said. According to her, TikTok promised to 'examine and assess' the situation, but offered no technical solutions and made no commitments regarding an audit or new verification measures. She described the investigation's findings as 'very serious, very alarming,' stating that they revealed 'a structural problem of TikTok, which encourages ecosystems that easily spread and reproduce child sexual abuse.' Rego added that she had personally typed words into the search bar that give quick access to content depicting child sexual abuse.

Legal framework and political reaction

Under EU data protection rules, the Spanish regulator can take temporary measures lasting up to three months if it deems urgent action necessary to protect people's rights and freedoms. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party confirmed that Maldita.es had also informed him about the material found. 'Every day, children encounter adults who ask them to do things no parent would even want to think about. It is horrifying, and we cannot look away,' he wrote on X.

What remains undecided

At the time of publication, the regulator had not made a decision on the ministry's request: this is a request, not an active block. It is also unknown whether TikTok will heed the call to suspend the service voluntarily — according to the minister, the company limited itself to promising to look into the situation.