This article was originally published by Maldita on May 2026
Over 20,200 comments, 1,600 accounts and 380 videos analysed: this is an investigation by Maldita.es into how TikTok has become an open buffet for pedophiles looking to ‘prey’ on minors.
This is what we have found
-
Over 1,300 pedophiles in the comments on videos of young girls on TikTok
- In just 50 videos, we have found 1,383 potential pedophiles asking to exchange, give away, or sell child pornography.
- They have their own code to identify each other. This is the pedophile dictionary on TikTok.
-
The modus operandi: moving the conversation to encrypted platforms
- Telegram is the preferred site, but Zangi —a platform with a military encryption system and anonymous registration used by criminal networks— is gaining ground.
Read more:
- “Trade, gift, sell”: 1,300 pedophiles caught on TikTok, the marketplace of child pornography
- 1,300 pedophiles exchange child pornography on TikTok: this is their coded language
These are the 5 strategies that pedophiles use to recruit minors
1.“Those born in 2012, 2013 and 2014, post your photos”
- Requesting images of girls aged 14, 13 and 12 years old. In just 15 videos, we have identified 5,000 images of minors who post their photos in the comments, accumulating over a million views.
2. Virtual boyfriends
- A TikTok trend where boys and girls look for a virtual boyfriend, but which is also used by pedophiles to gain access to children aged between 6 and 12: their images, contact details and even their location.
3. The CapCut age template + photo
- A template from the social media platform itself where a user reveals their supposed age and asks others in the comments.
- We have found 100 videos of children aged between 9 and 13 that have accumulated over 5 million views with dozens of comments from adults.
4. Rating ‘tits & dick pics’
- A growing trend: asking for images to be rated or offering to be a rater. 300 comments across 15 videos asking to rate “from 8 to 18”, “9, 10, 11, 12” or “only 11 years old or younger”.
5. Hormonal groups
- These are groups outside TikTok, mostly on WhatsApp, where underage participants are encouraged to send images and videos with sexual content.
- Maldita.es has joined several and yes, there are minors.
Read more:
Credit: Maldita.es