TikTok faces shutdown in Spain after more than 1,000 child abuse videos found on the app

More than 1,000 videos and images showing the sexual abuse of children were found circulating on TikTok over just five weeks, racking up 48 million views between them. When a sample was reported through the app’s own tools, only one in 10 came down, and Spain’s government is now asking prosecutors whether the platform should be switched off altogether.

Only five of 50 reported videos were taken down 

The figures come from an investigation by Maldita.es, a Spanish non-profit fact-checking foundation, published on Monday November 9, with researchers tracking the material between September 11 and October 15. In that time they logged 1,182 videos and images linked to 231 profiles, and the oldest one still online had been posted back in June.

So they put TikTok’s reporting system to the test. They flagged 50 of the videos as illegal content, which between them had been watched 8.8 million times and collected more than 148,000 likes.

Just five were removed. Another 13 were blocked in Spain only, meaning they could still be watched from other countries, while in 58 per cent of cases the platform replied that the videos didn’t break the law or its own rules. More than half of those were then taken down within 72 hours anyway.

TikTok’s own policy says accounts sharing this kind of material are banned permanently. However, by October 15, 136 of the 231 profiles, or 59 per cent, were still active.

Some of the accounts were being used as shop windows, pointing viewers towards messaging apps where the material was being sold. The researchers also said the app’s recommendation algorithm kept leading them to more of the same content the longer they looked. 

Why ministers are now talking about switching TikTok off 

On the same day the investigation was published, the Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia (Ministry of Youth and Children) led by Sira Rego, sent the findings to the State Prosecutor’s Office. Its letter asks prosecutors to act to protect any children and teenagers who may be affected, and raises the possibility of suspending TikTok’s services in Spain if they consider it appropriate.

Ministry sources described the findings as extremely serious and pointed to serious shortcomings in the way the platform detects and moderates content, as well as the role its algorithms play in spreading it. They said that could amount to a breach of children’s rights by the platform itself. 

Rego has also requested an urgent meeting with TikTok’s representatives in Spain to hear what they’ve done so far and what they plan to do next. 

TikTok hasn’t yet made a public statement, and according to Maldita.es, the company only asked for more information when approached before publication and didn’t answer its questions about the failures found.

A shutdown is still a long way from certain

Nothing has been decided yet, though. It’s now down to prosecutors to study the case, and any order to block an app used so widely in Spain would be a huge step that would have to stand up legally. TikTok is also one of the very large platforms policed by the European Commission under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which is why the ministry is calling for a joint response from Spanish and European authorities.

It isn’t the first time the government has gone after the social media giants on this issue either. Back in February, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asked prosecutors to investigate X, Meta and TikTok over AI-generated child abuse material, saying: “The impunity of these giants must end.”

Meanwhile, Spain’s child digital protection law, which would stop under-16s opening social media accounts, is still working its way through Congress. Changes agreed by the governing parties in September could also leave platform bosses criminally liable if they know about content like this and fail to act.

What parents can do in the meantime

For now, TikTok is still up and running in Spain, so the most immediate protection sits with families.

It’s worth sitting down with children to check who can see their videos and who can message them, and TikTok’s own Family Pairing feature lets a parent link their account to a teenager’s to set limits on content and contact.

Anyone who comes across this kind of material should never download, screenshot or forward it, even to warn others, as sharing it is a crime in itself. Instead, report it in the app and to the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil.

For advice on keeping children safe online, families can also call 017, the free helpline run by INCIBE, Spain’s National Cybersecurity Institute.