Spanish prosecutors will investigate X, Meta, and TikTok over allegations the platforms enabled AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The move marks one of the first criminal probes targeting social media companies for content created by artificial intelligence tools.
Approximately 3 million AI-generated nude images of minors proliferated online in under two weeks, according to Spanish government officials. Madrid has ordered the public prosecutor's office to examine potential crimes including child pornography and degrading treatment of minors on major platforms.
"We can't allow all this to be amplified or emboldened through an algorithm," Elma Saiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, said in a press conference. "The safety of our children is at stake."
Sanchez announced the investigation in a post on X, alleging that X, Meta and TikTok were "undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children." He wrote that "the impunity of these giants must end" and called for prosecutors to explore possible legal infractions by Elon Musk's Grok AI software alongside TikTok and Meta's Instagram.
The Spanish government will introduce legislation next week to hold social media executives personally accountable for illegal content and hate speech on their platforms. The bill would also criminalize algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal material.
Spain plans to ban social media access for children under 16 by implementing age verification systems that "are not just check boxes," Sanchez said. This follows similar restrictions implemented in Australia last December, with Britain and France considering comparable measures.
Meta responded that it takes an "extremely strong stance against nonconsensual intimate imagery" and removes such content when detected. The company said its AI tools are trained not to comply with user requests to create nude images or digitally remove clothing from photos.
X previously stated it had implemented measures to restrict Grok's image generation capabilities and maintains zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation. TikTok's website states the platform doesn't allow content showing or promoting sexual abuse of young people.
Advancements in AI have made it easy for users to generate explicit images through text prompts on certain apps or websites. Explicit content can emerge when these platforms lack safeguards preventing AI models from fulfilling specific user requests.
Elon Musk's X faced recent scrutiny in Europe after public outcry over sexualized deepfake images created by its Grok AI software. Nonconsensual AI-generated images appeared on the platform last year, forcing policy reviews.
About 82% of Spaniards believe children under 14 should be banned from social media both inside and outside school, according to a 30-country Ipsos poll published last August. That figure increased from 73% in 2024.
