MADRID, November 10 (Aalimi Nation) – Spain's government has asked prosecutors to act on alleged child sexual abuse material on TikTok and has raised the possibility of suspending the platform in the country, after an investigation by the Spanish non-profit Maldita.es said it found more than 1,000 abusive videos on the app. No suspension has been ordered, and TikTok remains available in Spain.
Maldita.es said it monitored the platform for 35 days between September 11 and October 15, 2026. It said it identified 231 profiles that posted 1,183 items containing explicit sexual abuse of minors, which together drew about 48 million views. Of those profiles, 136, or 59 per cent, were still active on October 15, the group said.
The organisation also said it reported a sample of 50 videos through TikTok's own tools. After appeals, it said, five were removed completely, 13 were blocked only in Spain, 29 were judged not to break the rules and three were pending or unanswered. Maldita.es said it passed its findings to the authorities.
"Abuse is not hidden away in a little corner and it is not hard to find," said Clara Jimenez Cruz, co-founder and chief executive of Maldita.es.
On Monday, Spain's Ministry of Youth and Children sent a report to the State Prosecutor's Office asking it to investigate and decide on measures to protect affected children and adolescents. The ministry called the facts of "extreme gravity" and sought a coordinated European response.
Minister Sira Rego also requested an urgent meeting with TikTok's representatives in Spain to demand explanations on moderation and immediate action. The ministry said a suspension was a possibility it was raising, not a measure that has been approved, and that it would depend on legal grounds and the decision of the competent authorities.
Article 189 of Spain's Criminal Code punishes producing, distributing and offering child sexual abuse material. Under the European Union's Digital Services Act, large platforms must provide accessible reporting channels, act diligently on notices and reduce systemic risks to minors. The European Commission can impose fines of up to 6 per cent of a company's worldwide annual turnover. Temporary restrictions on access are a last resort, subject to strict conditions and judicial involvement.
Separately, the European Commission issued preliminary findings on November 6 that TikTok's "For You" recommendation system may breach the same rules. That is not a final decision and is separate from the Maldita.es investigation.
TikTok has previously rejected accusations that it fails to protect minors. Reports on the new findings say the company had not given a detailed public answer on its moderation or protection measures at the time of publication. Maldita.es said TikTok had asked it for further information.
Maldita.es has suggested recommendation features may have helped spread the content, noting that accounts with about 70,000 followers drew 8.8 million views on the sampled videos, but acknowledged that view counts alone cannot show how much reach came from the algorithm.
The next steps are the ministry's meeting with TikTok's Spanish representatives and the prosecutors' assessment of the cases. Any attempt to suspend the service would have to be reconciled with European law, since it would affect millions of users, and would need to meet tests of necessity and proportionality.
