India govt orders Meta to take down child sexual abuse ads, demands explanation

The Indian government has reportedly directed Meta to immediately remove advertisements and content on Instagram that promote or facilitate child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and has demanded for an explanation within seven days on how such advertisements were allowed to appear on the platform.

When contacted by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a Meta spokesperson said the company has "a zero-tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads."

"We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5 billion users and try to evade our detection," the spokesperson said. "That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defenses, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too." 

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The government's directive follows a recent investigation by BBC World Service, published on 4 July, which found paid advertisements on Instagram promoting such ads. According to the report, some of the ads used terms such as "rape video" and "child video", directing users to channels on messaging app Telegram where the material was allegedly being sold for as little as 99 rupees (approximately SG$1.34).

The BBC reported that it created an alias Instagram account in India after noticing the platform was surfacing sexually suggestive content despite no searches for such material. Within days, the account was shown advertisements promoting adult pornography before later receiving ads containing apparent child sexual abuse materials.

Following the BBC's findings, Meta reportedly told the broadcaster that it had disabled several of the advertisements and suspended the accounts responsible. The company also said it had removed additional violating ads, disabled more accounts and blocked URLs linked to content that breached its policies.

In its response to the BBC investigative report, Meta also rejected suggestions that it knowingly allowed such advertisements to appear or prioritised advertising revenue over user safety. The company described child exploitation as "a horrific crime" and said it continues to strengthen its systems to detect and remove abusive content.

The development comes amid Meta's broader efforts to strengthen online safety for younger users. Earlier in April, the company expanded parental controls for Meta AI across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, giving parents greater visibility into how teenagers are using its AI tools.

The update builds on existing safeguards for teen accounts, including protections against age-inappropriate content and interventions around sensitive topics, as well as the launch of an AI Wellbeing Expert Council focused on youth safety and responsible AI development.

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