Explained: Why Meta is facing scrutiny in India over Instagram ads promoting child abuse material

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is facing growing scrutiny in India after allegations that advertisements promoting or facilitating access to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appeared on Instagram. The controversy has triggered action from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which has sought an explanation from the company and directed it to remove such content immediately. The episode has also reignited concerns over how effectively social media platforms monitor advertisements and prevent illegal content from appearing on their services.What sparked the controversy?The issue came to light after a BBC Eye investigation reported that Instagram had displayed paid advertisements in India containing explicit search terms that directed users to Telegram channels allegedly selling child sexual abuse material. According to the investigation, some of these advertisements had passed Instagram's advertising review systems before appearing on the platform. After the findings were shared with Meta, the company said it disabled several advertisements and accounts, removed additional violating content and blocked related URLs.Government steps inFollowing the report, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over the matter. The ministry subsequently issued a notice asking the company to immediately disable advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to child sexual exploitative and abuse material and explain how such advertisements were approved. It has also sought details on the safeguards currently in place, the moderation process followed by the platform and the corrective measures Meta plans to introduce to prevent similar incidents. The ministry has given the company seven days to respond.The government has also indicated that if the allegations involve paid advertisements, the platform cannot simply rely on a third-party content defence, since advertisements generate revenue for the company. The matter is now being examined from both technical and regulatory perspectives.How has Meta responded?In response to the scrutiny, Meta reiterated that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards child exploitation and continues to invest in technology and human review to detect and remove abusive content. In a blog post published on July 7, the company described child exploitation as a "horrific crime" and said it uses artificial intelligence, machine learning systems, hash-matching technology and human reviewers to identify known abusive material, suspicious behaviour and new content that may violate its policies.The company also acknowledged that no moderation system is perfect. It said determined criminals constantly attempt to evade detection and admitted that its review process may not identify every policy violation. Meta added that it continues to strengthen its advertising review systems and investigates reports of violating advertisements even after they have gone live.What enforcement data has Meta shared?Alongside its response, Meta disclosed fresh enforcement figures covering the first half of 2026. The company said it removed around four million accounts linked to child exploitation globally and took down about 36 million pieces of related content during the period. In India, it said approximately 1.6 lakh accounts were disabled for violating its child safety policies.Meta also said it removes accounts attempting to contact minors for sexual purposes, shares signals about offending accounts with other technology companies and reports relevant cases through the US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which coordinates with law enforcement agencies around the world.Why are Meta's advertising systems under focus?The controversy has also put Meta's advertising review process under the spotlight. Unlike ordinary user posts, advertisements are reviewed before they are approved for publication. According to the company, automated systems examine images, videos, text and destination links for possible policy violations, while some advertisements are escalated for human review.Despite these safeguards, the allegations have raised questions about how advertisements promoting illegal content were able to pass the review process. The incident has intensified calls for stronger moderation and greater accountability from large technology platforms, particularly when it comes to paid promotions.Why does this matter?The case has become one of the biggest recent tests of Meta's content moderation systems in India, one of the company's largest markets. While the immediate focus is on the advertisements highlighted in the investigation, the government's scrutiny extends to whether Meta's advertising approval process and enforcement mechanisms are robust enough to prevent such content from appearing in the first place.Meta has said it will continue investing in AI-powered detection systems, human reviewers and partnerships with governments, law enforcement agencies and child safety organisations.