Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promises to end “impunity” on platforms X, Meta and TikTok for promoting harmful content.
Published February 17, 2026
Spain’s government has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta, and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse content, the prime minister announced.
“These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity and rights of children,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on his X account on Tuesday.
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“The nation cannot tolerate this. The impunity of these giants must end.”
The announcement comes as European regulators crack down on Big Tech companies, alleging widespread fraud on online platforms, from anti-competitive practices in digital advertising to the deliberate design of addictive features on social media.
Earlier this month, Sanchez described social media platforms as the “digital west” and announced several measures aimed at curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for under-16s.
Currently, social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok require users to be at least 13 years old. Social media executives, including X owner Elon Musk, called Sanchez a “traitor to the Spanish people.”
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Sanchez’s move and announcement was not a “safety measure” but a step toward “complete control.”
According to August’s Ipsos Education Monitor 2025, support in Spain for banning the use of social media by children under 14 rose to 82% from 73% in 2024.
The poll covered 30 countries, with most respondents in each country supporting banning children under 14 from accessing social media.
Spain is not the only country investigating sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot Grok on X. Other governments have also launched investigations, imposed bans and called for stronger safeguards as part of a growing international effort to crack down on illegal content.
In December, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a national ban on social media for under-16s.
Under the new rules, 10 major platforms could be fined $33 million if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to remove users under the age of 16 in Australia.
By January 16, officials said social media companies had blocked access to around 4.7 million accounts in Australia that had been identified as belonging to children.
