NEW DELHI, India — The Indian government has ordered Meta to immediately remove advertisements and content on Instagram that promote or facilitate child sexual abuse material (CSAM), days after a BBC Eye investigation revealed that such content was being promoted through paid advertisements on the platform.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also demanded a detailed explanation from Meta within seven days on how advertisements linked to child sexual exploitation material were permitted to appear on Instagram.
According to a senior government official quoted by the BBC, authorities have issued a formal notice requiring the company to disable all content and advertisements that facilitate access to child sexual abuse material.
“The government has issued a stern notice to Meta over child sexual exploitative and abuse material appearing in paid advertisements on Instagram,” the official said.
The official added that Meta had been instructed to immediately remove such content and explain the apparent failures in its moderation systems.
Investigation triggered government action
The directive follows a BBC Eye investigation that found Instagram users in India were being served paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material.
According to the investigation, journalists created a new Instagram account and observed how the platform’s recommendation systems responded after following a small number of sexually suggestive accounts.
Within days, the account reportedly began receiving advertisements containing adult pornographic content.
The investigation later identified advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material and directing users to Telegram channels where such content was offered for sale.
The findings renewed scrutiny of how large social media platforms monitor advertising content and prevent criminal networks from exploiting their systems.
Neither the Indian government nor Meta has officially confirmed whether the notice was issued directly in response to the BBC investigation. However, the timing has intensified public and regulatory pressure on the company.
Meta says it has zero tolerance for child exploitation
Responding to the allegations, Meta said it maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual exploitation and continues investing heavily in detection and enforcement technologies.
A company spokesperson said Meta uses advanced artificial intelligence systems and human review processes to identify and remove content that violates its policies.
“Child exploitation is a horrific crime, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing child sexual abuse material, including in advertisements,” the spokesperson said.
Meta added that it continuously removes accounts, groups and networks involved in child exploitation but acknowledged that criminal actors constantly attempt to evade detection.
The company also rejected suggestions that it knowingly targeted such content to users or prioritised advertising revenue over child safety.
“We are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our billions of users and try to evade our detection systems,” Meta said.
Growing global pressure on social media platforms
The development comes amid increasing international scrutiny of major technology companies over the spread of child sexual exploitation content online.
Regulators in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and members of the European Union, have pushed social media companies to strengthen safeguards against child abuse networks operating on digital platforms.
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Technology firms are increasingly required to invest in proactive monitoring tools, age-verification systems, content moderation teams and cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
Child protection organisations have repeatedly warned that encrypted messaging services, social media platforms and online forums are being exploited by criminal networks to distribute illegal content and target vulnerable children.
India’s tightening digital regulations
India, one of Meta’s largest markets with hundreds of millions of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users, has in recent years strengthened oversight of digital platforms through a series of technology and intermediary regulations.
Authorities have increasingly demanded greater accountability from social media companies over harmful content, misinformation, cybercrime and child safety concerns.
The latest notice signals that Indian regulators are prepared to take a more aggressive stance against platforms found to be hosting or facilitating access to illegal content involving children.
For now, Meta faces a seven-day deadline to respond to the government’s concerns and explain how the advertisements were allowed to appear on Instagram.
