Spain demands TikTok suspend operations over child abuse material

Spain's government has demanded TikTok suspend its operations until it removes child sexual abuse material. This request follows a media report documenting 1,183 explicit posts on the platform, which garnered millions of views. Youth Minister Sira Rego has appealed to prosecutors and the Data Protection Agency for action against TikTok, emphasizing that social media must not be a lawless territory. An investigation by the nonprofit Maldita.es revealed that videos of explicit child sexual abuse had been viewed at least 48 million times, with over 26,000 profiles engaging with the content. The Spanish government had previously requested a probe into TikTok and other platforms for allegedly spreading AI-generated child abuse material. The call for action comes as European regulators increase scrutiny on big tech companies regarding harmful and illegal content.