Spanish watchdog criticises TikTok over failure to remove child abuse content

Spanish digital rights organisation Maldita.es has released findings documenting widespread child abuse material circulating on TikTok, raising serious questions about the video platform's ability to police harmful content.

The investigation, published Monday, catalogued more than 1,000 videos containing footage of child abuse. Collectively, these videos were viewed approximately 48 million times, indicating substantial audience reach for prohibited material that should have been removed under platform policies.

The findings underscore growing concerns about content moderation gaps on social media platforms, particularly regarding material depicting exploitation of minors. Maldita.es highlighted what it characterised as inadequate responses from TikTok to remove such content despite clear violations of community standards.

The case adds to mounting international pressure on technology companies to strengthen safeguarding mechanisms and accelerate response times to reports of child exploitation. Regulators and child protection advocates have increasingly scrutinised major platforms' handling of such material, with several jurisdictions implementing stricter compliance requirements.

TikTok has faced similar content moderation challenges across multiple markets as it expands its user base globally. The Spanish investigation's findings are likely to intensify regulatory scrutiny of the platform's safety protocols in Europe and beyond.