Maldita.es reported finding more than 1,000 videos of child sexual abuse on TikTok, which drew over 48 million views. Its investigation also identified more than 20,000 profiles of potential paedophiles exchanging or selling such material; over 7,000 of those profiles operated in Spanish.
The figures formed the basis of a complaint to Spain’s State Prosecutor’s Office. Teresa Peramato, the state prosecutor general, assigned the inquiry to Elvira Tejada de la Fuente, who coordinates the office’s cybercrime work. It concerns possible offences linked to creating and distributing child sexual abuse material. It also covers the corruption of minors.
Maldita.es also reported 780 accounts using TikTok to find buyers for abuse material. It identified 91 livestreams involving minors in 17 countries where users requested actions, sometimes sexual, in exchange for money, alongside a community of more than 2,000 members seeking content involving babies. The allegations remain under investigation.
The complainants appeared before the prosecutor to confirm their complaint and submit evidence. The office was to analyse and assess the material.
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The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) said on 11 November 2026 that it had opened proceedings within its data-protection remit after receiving a formal communication from the Ministry of Youth and Children and learning of Maldita.es’ reporting. The agency said it would request the links identified in Maldita.es’ reporting, then ask TikTok for details of its efforts to remove the material. After reviewing the company’s response, the AEPD could order specific links and content blocked if it found unlawful processing of minors’ personal data.
No final blocking order had been announced when the AEPD set out those steps. The agency said any measure would cover concrete, identified links rather than TikTok’s entire service, and would be specific, proportionate and appropriate, with due regard for freedom of expression and information. The AEPD also recognized the value of investigative journalism in bringing the allegations to light.
The AEPD has stressed that it cannot order TikTok’s entire platform to close. Law-enforcement bodies, prosecutors and the courts are responsible for investigating the alleged offences. Those authorities also handle orders to remove criminally unlawful content or restrict access to a service. The agency’s own role is limited to assessing potential unlawful processing of personal data, and any link-blocking order would not amount to a criminal ruling.
The agency also maintains a separate priority channel for urgent removal requests involving illegally disseminated sexual or violent photos, videos or audio that pose a serious risk to people’s rights, freedoms or physical or mental health. That channel is separate from the AEPD’s inquiry into the reported TikTok links.
TikTok’s main establishment in Europe is in Ireland. Under the General Data Protection Regulation, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is the administrative supervisory authority responsible for the platform’s compliance. The AEPD said its own powers in such cases are limited to defined exceptional circumstances, including urgent proceedings.
The agency also said it would share the information with the Irish regulator and the European Data Protection Board, as well as other European data protection authorities. It planned to send it to the European Commission in connection with its responsibilities under the Digital Services Act. TikTok said it had acted to identify and remove the reported content and would work with the AEPD and other competent authorities.
A company spokesperson told EFE that TikTok had submitted reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children when appropriate. The company said sexually explicit content involving minors is prohibited and that it uses detection technology alongside a child-safety team to identify and remove it.
