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  "path": "/investigaciones/20260519/looking-virtual-boyfriend-minors-tiktok/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-19T16:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://maldita.es",
  "tags": [
    "READ THE FULL INVESTIGATION\nPredators on TikTok 2: an open buffet for more than 1,300 pedophiles",
    "users under 13 are not allowed to register",
    "five years",
    "2026",
    "Social Media doesn't care. We do. Help us fight their indifference.\n  \n\nDONATE",
    "its rules",
    "children under 13 cannot register on TikTok",
    "Javier Sanz",
    "influencers",
    "singers",
    "actors",
    "downloaded and collected by any user",
    "\"I'm hormo [hormonal]\" or \"looking for a hormonal friend\"",
    "we have already warned about",
    "prohibit",
    "Child Helpline International",
    "INHOPE",
    "Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)",
    "Maldita.es",
    "send us any hoaxes you come across to our WhatsApp service",
    "lend us your superpowers",
    "become an Ambassador"
  ],
  "textContent": "**Content warning:** this investigation addresses sensitive topics related to the sexualization and sexual abuse of minors.\n\n\nREAD THE FULL INVESTIGATION\nPredators on TikTok 2: an open buffet for more than 1,300 pedophiles\n\n\nA **buffet for pedophiles** , who can enter videos to target minors or pose as one of them so that real children contact them. **These are not isolated cases** : we analyzed more than **100 videos** seeking “virtualitos” to establish online romantic relationships with children aged 6 to 12, which together have amassed **more than 3,5 million views**. This is despite the platform’s rules stating that users under 13 are not allowed to register. This has been happening for **at least** five years. A half-decade in which the platform has acted as a springboard exposing children to **_grooming_** **and recruitment** by adult users, while leaving the **images minors share in comments** accessible to anyone.\n\nComments with images of minors. Source: TikTok.\n\nThe 100 videos we analyzed function as **ads for \"virtual boyfriends\"** : they specify the ages, locations or characteristics that each user seeks in their ‘virtualito’. **33% of them were published on the platform in 2023, the year with the most videos** in the sample. But even in 2025, 22% were published, the second highest figure. And it didn't stop there:**in** 2026**, TikTok continue to be used to search for \"virtual boyfriends\" of these ages**.\n\n\n\nSocial Media doesn't care. We do. Help us fight their indifference.\n  \n\nDONATE\n\n\n\n\n###  TikTok videos of “virtualitos” compiled by Maldita.es\n\n## “Looking for a boyfriend who’s 110 (without the zero),” “8 years old and hot,” “living in Lanzarote”: this is how they use TikTok to find ‘virtual boyfriends’ aged 12 or younger\n\nThe age requirement is a common denominator when looking for a “virtual boyfriend”. **Sometimes they say it outright** (“I’m looking for a 10-year-old boyfriend”), but other times **they camouflage it with tricks**(“I’m 9+1” or “110 without the zero”).\n\nVideos and comments about the children's ages. Source: TikTok.\n\nBehind the simple sums and calculations sometimes used to present ages lies a way to **circumvent the platform's moderation**. According to its rules, children under 13 cannot register on TikTok. However,**this isn't always done consciously** : \"It's also done through imitation; that is, the child sees another user's profile with that bio and **copies it without realizing they're bypassing a protection system** , simply because 'that's what everyone else is doing’\", explains Javier Sanz, criminology expert.\n\nTikTok's policy regarding minors under 13 and comments from users claiming to be younger. Source: TikTok.\n\nThere's more. Minors also reveal their **locations** : \"I'm from Spain,\" \"I live in Lanzarote\", \"Anyone from Saltillo?\". This personal information has garnered **over 3,5 million views** across the hundred videos analyzed by _Maldita.es_. These profiles also boast 263.530 followers and could be looking not only for a \"virtual boyfriend\", but also to **meet them in person at these places**. This poses a risk, given that**it's not always clear whether adults or minors are behind** these videos and comments.\n\nVideos and comments sharing the location of minors. Source: TikTok.\n\nWhile some users choose to attract attention in these videos with images of influencers, singers or actors, others are **minors who show their own faces**. In the comments, there are also photos of girls and boys \"applying\" to be chosen as ‘virtualito’: we can find everything from images of their faces to photos of real girls in bikinis. This poses risks, since this content can be downloaded and collected by any user**** on the platform.\n\n## “I’m hormo”, “we send each other everything”, “I rate boobs in the DMs”: the comments encourage minors to take the conversation to closed platforms like WhatsApp, Zangi and Instagram\n\nThe requirements go beyond age. Many videos state**** \"I'm hormo [hormonal]\" or \"looking for a hormonal friend\". In other words, \"friends with benefits\" with whom to **\"talk dirty\"** , send **\"moaning audios\"** and exchange **\"very explicit\" or \"no-clothes\" photos**.\n\nVideos and comments from \"hormo friends\" and explanations of their meaning. Source: TikTok.\n\n**Some comments are direct and don't hide the sexual purpose** of these relationships: \"We'll send each other everything\", \"looking for a hot girlfriend\", \"I'll do whatever you want\", \"a dominant one?\". Among these messages is a trend we have already warned about that can expose minors to **sextortion**(online extortion using intimate content to threaten or blackmail): messages like **\"I'll rate boobs in private\"** or**\"I'll rate penis pics\"** to get boys and girls to share their intimate images.\n\nVideos and comments of a sexual nature. Source: TikTok.\n\nPrivately, on Zangi, through Instagram or WhatsApp. This is how content involving minors navigates the vastness of the internet beyond TikTok. In the videos and comments, we find calls to **move the conversation with minors to private channels** , such as direct messages or other platforms. All this while TikTok claims to prohibit content that**“leads or encourages young people to move off-platform** due to the risk that the request could be made by a bad actor”.\n\nVideos and comments encouraging users to communicate through other platforms. Source: TikTok.\n\nIf you are outside Spain and need help or wish to report child abuse, find your local helpline at Child Helpline International or INHOPE. To report online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) anonymously, you can contact the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). In an immediate emergency, always contact your local emergency services first.\n\n_This article was written with the help of Javier Sanz, a criminologist specializing in cybercrime and cyber behavior analysis and contributor of_ Maldita.es_._\n\n_Thanks to your superpowers, knowledge, and experience, we can fight harder and better against lies. The_ Maldita.es_community is essential to stopping misinformation. Help us in this battle:_ send us any hoaxes you come across to our WhatsApp service_,_ lend us your superpowers_, spread our debunkings, and_ become an Ambassador_._\n\n\n## __Methodology\n\nFor this article, we analyzed **100 videos published on TikTok** between August 5, 2020; and January 19, 2026, in which users sought to **engage children between the ages of 6 and 12** in alleged romantic or intimate relationships. To do this, **we searched the online platform using keywords** such as “looking for a virtualito,” “looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend” and “looking for a hormonal friend”. We combined these terms with each of the ages within the analyzed range (6 to 12 years old).\n\nThis allowed us to create a **sample of 100 videos published by 100 different users** , ensuring that there were no duplicate profiles. We collected **quantitative and qualitative** data from the accounts (user creation date, number of followers, number of likes, and number of videos published) **and from the analyzed videos** (such as publication date, views, hashtags used, and video text).\n\nIn addition, we reviewed every registered profile to **look for any indication that the profiles belonged to adults** posing as minors or seeking to contact them. We also **reviewed the comments on each video** looking for users who identified themselves as adults or had photos and videos that revealed their age.\n\nIf you have any questions, you can contact us at investigacion@maldita.es\n\n\n",
  "title": "“Looking for a virtual boyfriend, ages 6-8”: how this trend among minors turns TikTok into a buffet for pedophiles"
}