The Spanish government has launched a criminal investigation into major social media platforms X Meta and TikTok over allegations they have spread AI‑generated child sexual abuse material Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Tuesday.
Sánchez described the move as part of a broader crackdown on big tech saying such material undermines the mental health dignity and rights of children. He ordered prosecutors to determine whether the companies’ artificial intelligence tools and algorithms may have enabled the creation and dissemination of illegal content including deepfake imagery involving minors.
The investigation is the first step in Spain’s new social media regulatory push which also includes proposed measures such as banning access for users under the age of 16 in order to better protect young people online.
Spain’s action comes amid a wider wave of regulatory scrutiny across Europe. Authorities in other countries including Ireland and France have opened their own inquiries particularly into AI tools like X’s chatbot Grok for generating harmful sexualized images and potentially violating privacy laws.
Tech companies named in the Spanish probe have not yet issued detailed public responses though TikTok reiterated that child sexual abuse material is categorically prohibited on its platform and that it uses technologies to try to prevent exploitation.
This case highlights growing global concern over how generative AI and social media platforms are being used - and sometimes misused - in ways that may harm minors. Governments and regulators are increasingly pushing for stronger protections accountability and legal consequences for tech giants if they fail to prevent such content from circulating.
