00:00More than 1,000 videos of child sexual abuse were found on TikTok by Spanish investigators.
00:06And they're not hidden away.
00:07Sometimes the algorithm actively leads users towards this type of content.
00:11This isn't only happening on TikTok, but on other platforms too.
00:14How's this possible?
00:15And what can you do to protect yourself and your kids?
00:18First, here's what the investigation revealed.
00:21The figures are disturbing.
00:23Spanish non-profit investigative outlet Maldita.es found over 1,000 posts containing
00:28child sexual abuse material.
00:30This was over the course of just 35 days.
00:33Uploaded by 231 accounts, they got around 48 million views.
00:38Some of the videos openly advertised where predators could buy or trade more CSAM,
00:43mostly on Telegram.
00:44There were hundreds of comments asking for the full videos.
00:47Investigators also found live streams by underage girls in 13 countries,
00:52where adults made sexual requests in exchange for virtual gifts bought with real money.
00:56The scale of this is shocking.
00:58And the problem goes well beyond TikTok.
01:01In 2023, the Wall Street Journal found Facebook groups that sexualized children,
01:05some with hundreds of thousands of members.
01:08Facebook's own algorithm recommended these groups to users.
01:11And when the Wall Street Journal reported them,
01:13Facebook often replied that they didn't violate its rules.
01:16In 2024, a UK police unit found Instagram accounts with up to 150,000 followers,
01:22sharing real and AI-made sexual images of children.
01:25Instagram was recommending these accounts to other users.
01:28And when Meta finally removed them,
01:30the same content soon reappeared under slightly different names.
01:34So how do recommendation systems end up leading people towards this kind of content?
01:39Social media algorithms learn from what we do.
01:41What we watch, like, share.
01:43Then they show us more of it.
01:44But these systems don't just learn from your behavior.
01:47They're also looking for patterns among people with similar interests
01:50that can create pathways from one type of content to another.
01:53But could this also show up in your feed or your child's?
01:57The honest answer, an explicit abuse video popping up in a totally normal feed out of nowhere is rare.
02:03The bigger risk is that recommendation systems can gradually lead people towards more and more extreme content,
02:09even if they never directly search for anything illegal.
02:11The BBC tested it on Instagram.
02:13They only followed women posting suggestive but legal content.
02:17Within a week, their test feed showed porn ads.
02:19And ultimately, ads with children in sexual situations popped up,
02:23with links to Telegram channels selling abuse videos.
02:26A similar thing happened when the Wall Street Journal tested an account
02:29only following young gymnasts and cheerleaders.
02:32And when Maldita.es tested TikTok,
02:34they were being recommended accounts promoting CSAM as well as live streams involving young girls.
02:39So why isn't this stopped?
02:41Filters mostly catch abuse images that are already known.
02:44Sellers alter clips with text overlays, small insert previews, emojis covering the worst parts,
02:50clips hidden among other footage, or non-explicit stills that point to Telegram.
02:55Perpetrators use code words in account names, bios, and comments.
02:59Sometimes searching for those words prompts a warning.
03:01But mostly, the platforms will lead you to the accounts and content.
03:05Reporting often fails.
03:07Maldita flagged 50 videos.
03:09TikTok removed 5.
03:11And platforms have cut human moderators.
03:13Also, some of that content brings in money for the platform.
03:17For example, TikTok and others keep a share of the donations made during live streams.
03:21So, what can you do?
03:23If you see this content, don't save it, screenshot it, or forward it.
03:27In some countries, this in itself can be a crime.
03:29And every view trains the algorithm.
03:32Instead, report it to the app and to the authorities.
03:35As a parent, make your kids' accounts private.
03:37Limit who can message them.
03:39No live streams.
03:40And tell them they can always come to you without getting in trouble.
03:42One last thing.
03:43Think before you post photos of your kids.
03:46In 2021, German journalists analyzed more than 140,000 photos from pedophile forums.
03:52At least one in four came straight from Facebook or Instagram.
03:55Normal, everyday pictures of kids.
03:57So, stay safe.
03:59And see you next time.
04:01We'll see you next time.
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04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:03We'll see you next time.
04:04We'll see you next time.
