How did Instagram run ads promoting child abuse in India?

A BBC investigation has alleged that Meta-owned Instagram displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to users in India, resulting in an intervention from New Delhi.

The revelations have put Meta's content moderation systems under the lens.

The issue has also put into the spotlight India's "safe harbour" framework, under which social media companies enjoy legal protection for user-generated content under certain conditions.

However, with this latest controversy centring on paid advertisements — content that undergoes moderation before publication — government officials are now examining whether such legal protections should continue to extend to advertising hosted by online platforms.

The development marks the second major confrontation between the Indian government and Meta within a week, following another notice sent to WhatsApp over concerns surrounding its proposed username feature.

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What the investigation uncovered

The issue came to light after a BBC Eye investigation reported that Instagram had been carrying paid advertisements that allegedly promoted child sexual abuse material and directed users towards channels on the messaging platform Telegram, where such illegal content was purportedly being sold.

To examine how Instagram's recommendation systems functioned, BBC journalists created an alias Instagram account in India after observing that the platform was already recommending sexually suggestive material despite the user not actively searching for it.

According to the investigation, the account initially encountered profiles featuring women sharing seemingly ordinary lifestyle content — including posts related to food, weather and everyday life — but presented in revealing clothing and accompanied by sexual innuendo.

The investigators then followed ten such accounts to understand how Instagram's recommendation and advertising systems responded to user behaviour.

Within less than a week, the account reportedly began receiving advertisements featuring women offering video calls as well as explicit adult sexual content.

Shortly afterwards, the recommendations allegedly escalated further, with advertisements depicting children alongside adults in sexually suggestive situations. These advertisements reportedly contained links directing users to Telegram channels.

According to the BBC, nearly 30 unique advertisements promoting child sexual abuse appeared on the account during the investigation, although several of these advertisements were distributed through multiple advertiser accounts.

The investigators also recorded roughly 20 advertisements featuring adult pornography.

The report stated that some advertisements openly used phrases such as "rape video" and "child video" while directing users to Telegram channels where illegal material was allegedly available for purchase for as little as Rs 99.

The BBC also reported that children as young as seven years old appeared in some of the promotional videos encountered during the investigation.

Among the advertisements documented by the broadcaster was one showing a man embracing a young girl, accompanied by text identifying the man as being 52 years old and the girl as 12 years old while encouraging viewers to "Click to watch more."

Another advertisement reportedly depicted a young girl crying with apparent signs suggesting abuse. Despite being reported to Instagram, the broadcaster said the advertisement remained online.

The investigation also highlighted what it described as inconsistencies in Instagram's enforcement process. When BBC journalists reported one of the advertisements through the platform's reporting mechanism, Instagram responded approximately 24 hours later stating that the advertisement did not breach its "community guidelines."

Similarly, after reporting another advertisement showing an apparently distressed child, Instagram informed the BBC that "our review team found that the advertiser's ad does not go against our community standards," according to the investigation.

The broadcaster subsequently reported both the advertisements and the associated Telegram channels to Indian authorities.

Hours after the investigation became public, Meta informed the BBC that it had already disabled several advertisements, suspended accounts responsible for publishing them, removed additional advertisements and blocked URLs connected to content that violated its policies.

Telegram also responded to the investigation, stating that it had removed more than 274,000 groups and channels associated with child sexual abuse material during 2026.

The controversy has drawn particular attention because both the distribution of child sexual abuse material and adult pornography constitute criminal offences under Indian law.

At the same time, Meta's own advertising policies prohibit advertisements containing adult nudity, explicit sexual content or material that sexually exploits or endangers children.

How the Centre responded

The findings prompted a response from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which issued a notice to Meta directing Instagram to disable all advertisements and content that promote or facilitate access to child sexual abuse material.

According to government officials, the notice was sent on Saturday evening (July 4, 2026) after the BBC's findings came to light.

Officials also directed the company to submit a detailed explanation within seven days describing how such advertisements had been allowed to appear on the platform despite Instagram's moderation systems.

A senior government official said, "The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on the issue. MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSAM, and sought a detailed explanation within seven days."

The Centre also summoned representatives of Meta following publication of the investigation. While the immediate directive focused on removing offending advertisements and related content, the government's concerns extend beyond the specific incident itself.

Officials are now examining whether platforms should continue enjoying the same legal protections for paid advertising as they do for ordinary user-generated content.

The distinction is significant because advertisements differ from standard social media posts. Unlike ordinary user content, advertising submitted to platforms generally undergoes review before publication, raising questions about whether companies bear greater responsibility when harmful advertisements are approved and displayed.

Meta responded by reiterating its existing policies against child sexual abuse material.

A Meta spokesperson said, "Meta 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. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defences, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too."

The company maintained that it employs artificial intelligence to proactively identify policy-violating content and continuously updates its detection systems to counter individuals attempting to evade enforcement measures.

Why Instagram's advertising review system did not flag CSAM

One of the big questions arising from the controversy is how advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material were able to appear on Instagram despite the platform's existing moderation mechanisms and publicly stated policies.

Unlike ordinary posts shared by users, advertisements on Instagram are reviewed before they are published.

According to Meta's own advertising documentation, every advertisement undergoes a review process designed to determine whether it complies with the company's advertising standards.

The BBC investigation highlighted this distinction, noting that advertisements are not displayed until they have first been assessed through Instagram's moderation system. This has intensified criticism because the advertisements in question were paid promotions rather than ordinary user-generated posts.

Meta's "Ads in Review" policy states that the review process depends primarily on automated technology to evaluate advertisements and associated business assets against the company's rules.

The system examines various elements of an advertisement, including images, videos, written text, audio, targeting information and the destinations of any embedded links before deciding whether an advertisement should be approved or rejected.

According to Meta's own explanation of the process, "Our ad review process starts automatically before ads begin running, and is typically completed within 24 hours… This review process may include the specific components of an ad, such as images, video, text and targeting information."

The company's policies explicitly prohibit advertisements involving child sexual abuse material, fraud, deceptive practices, adult nudity, explicit sexual content and material that sexually exploits or endangers children.

However, the latest episode has exposed what critics argue are serious shortcomings in the system's implementation.

The issue has attracted additional attention because Meta announced earlier this year that it was reducing its dependence on third-party human moderators while increasing the use of artificial intelligence to review content across its platforms.

In March, the company said that "experts will design, train, oversee, and evaluate our AI systems," signalling a broader shift towards AI-led moderation.

How this is not the first time for Meta

At the heart of the discussion is the concept of "safe harbour" — the legal protection available to social media intermediaries that host content uploaded by users.

The principle behind safe harbour is that digital platforms cannot reasonably be expected to know in advance what billions of users may upload every day. Consequently, they generally receive legal immunity for third-party content unless they acquire "actual knowledge" of unlawful material and fail to act.

However, officials are now examining whether paid advertisements should continue to receive similar treatment. The controversy has also broadened conversations about online child safety.

Several countries — including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates — have already introduced restrictions on children's access to social media platforms.

India has previously explored the possibility of adopting a graded approach towards such safeguards, although no final policy has yet been implemented. Officials are now understood to be examining whether the latest incident could accelerate broader efforts aimed at strengthening protections for children online.

The BBC investigation is not the first time Instagram has faced allegations regarding the circulation or promotion of child sexual abuse material.

Over the past several years, multiple independent investigations have highlighted concerns surrounding the platform's recommendation systems and content moderation practices.

An investigation published by The Wall Street Journal in 2023, conducted alongside researchers from Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, concluded that Instagram was helping connect networks devoted to the purchase and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The report stated, "Pedophiles have long used the internet, but unlike the forums and file-transfer services that cater to people who have interest in illicit content, Instagram doesn't merely host these activities. Its algorithms promote them. Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests."

More recently, an April 2025 investigation published by the Pulitzer Center found numerous Instagram accounts openly sharing AI-generated images depicting children and adolescents in sexualised poses.

According to that report, at least a dozen such accounts, together attracting hundreds of thousands of followers, redirected users towards messaging applications including WhatsApp and Telegram.

According to figures cited in the BBC investigation, Meta reported in January that almost 98 per cent of its approximately $200 billion revenue for the financial year ending 2025 came from advertising.

Analysts have similarly estimated that advertising contributes more than 90 per cent of Instagram's revenue.

The BBC did not suggest that Instagram deliberately promoted illegal advertisements. However, it argued that stricter scrutiny of advertising systems carries financial implications because advertising remains the company's primary source of income.

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With inputs from agencies