An investigation by Maldita.es found TikTok removed only 6% of 35 reported videos requesting sexual images from minors, despite the platform’s own rules and the EU’s Digital Services Act.
The investigation identified 35 videos and profiles on TikTok that repeatedly asked children under 14 for intimate images or tried to lure them to private messaging platforms. According to Maldita.es’s report, TikTok removed just two of the 35 videos initially. After an appeal, the platform blocked two more, but only for users in Spain. This left 33 videos, or 88%, of the reported content accessible, with 91% of the offending accounts still online 72 hours later.
Alarming Examples of Inaction
One account, which TikTok decided to keep active, had multiple videos requesting intimate images and included a direct contact link to the Zangi messaging platform in its profile. The account name itself invited users to “compare” images off the platform. In some videos, it explicitly asked for content from “someone who doesn’t have any little hairs yet,” also directing them to WhatsApp, Maldita.es reported.
Another video, by a user calling himself “Marquitos” who claimed to be 11, asked to “compare swords between bros”—a coded request to swap explicit photos with boys aged 10 to 13. The video garnered over 33,000 views.
If “Marquitos” is an adult, his actions could constitute a crime in countries like Spain for recruiting minors to produce pornographic material. If he is truly 11, he violates TikTok’s own age policy. Despite being reported twice, TikTok took no action against the video, the investigation found.
Repeated Warnings Ignored
Since 2025, Maldita.es has warned TikTok that these tactics are a common method for predators to obtain child sexual abuse material and to lure victims to private platforms like Telegram or Zangi. The investigation concluded that TikTok has failed to react to these warnings.
The platform’s own guidelines prohibit asking a minor to “share explicit images.”
However, the investigation demonstrated that the enforcement of these rules is ineffective. The European Union’s Digital Services Act requires platforms to act “expeditiously to remove or to disable access to the illegal content” and to implement “reasonable, proportionate and effective mitigation measures” to protect minors. While TikTok’s rules may be reasonable on paper, the investigation shows their application is far from effective.