Spain asks TikTok to suspend operations until child sexual abuse content is removed
Spain’s government has asked TikTok to suspend its operations in the country until it removes content involving child sexual abuse, following a media report that identified 1,183 explicit posts on the platform that had attracted millions of views.
In a statement, the Ministry of Youth said Minister Sira Rego had urged prosecutors and the Spanish Data Protection Agency to take action against the social media platform, noting that her ministry lacks the authority to ban it in Spain on its own.
Social media cannot be a lawless zone, Rego said.
The request comes months after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government called for an investigation into X, Meta and TikTok over the circulation of child sexual abuse material generated using artificial intelligence.
European regulators have meanwhile stepped up scrutiny of major technology companies over harmful and illegal content.
Spain’s government has asked TikTok to suspend its operations in the country until it removes content involving child sexual abuse, following a media report that identified 1,183 explicit posts on the platform that had attracted millions of views.
In a statement, the Ministry of Youth said Minister Sira Rego had urged prosecutors and the Spanish Data Protection Agency to take action against the social media platform, noting that her ministry lacks the authority to ban it in Spain on its own.
Social media cannot be a lawless zone, Rego said.
The request comes months after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government called for an investigation into X, Meta and TikTok over the circulation of child sexual abuse material generated using artificial intelligence.
European regulators have meanwhile stepped up scrutiny of major technology companies over harmful and illegal content.
