Spain to probe social media giants over AI-generated child abuse material 

The Spanish government ⁠has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media ⁠platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, the prime minister has said.

“These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children,” Prime Minister ‌Pedro Sanchez posted on ⁠his X account on Tuesday.

“The state ⁠cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end.”

The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on Big Tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive behaviour in digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media.

Earlier ⁠this month, Sanchez announced ⁠several measures aimed at ⁠curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on ‌access to social media platforms for those under the ‌age ‌of 16, describing social media platforms as the “digital Wild West”.

Currently, social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok require users to be at least 13 years old. Social media executives, such as X owner Elon Musk, have called Sanchez a “traitor to the people of Spain”.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Sanchez’s moves and announcements were not “safeguards” but steps towards “total control”.

In August, the Ipsos Education Monitor 2025 found that support in Spain for banning social media use by children under 14 had risen to 82 percent, up from 73 percent in 2024.

The poll covered 30 countries, and in each one, most respondents backed prohibiting social media access for children younger than 14.

Spain is not the only country probing sexually explicit content ⁠generated by Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot Grok on X. Other governments have also opened investigations, imposed bans, and demanded stronger safeguards as part of a widening international effort to clamp down on illegal material.

In December, Australia introduced a nationwide ban on social media for under-16s, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

Under the new rules, 10 major platforms can be fined $33m if they do not take “reasonable steps” to remove users in Australia who are under 16.

By January 16, officials said social media firms had cut off access to roughly 4.7 million accounts in Australia that had been identified as belonging to children.