The Central government on Sunday issued a notice to Meta over the alleged presence of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram. The company also directed the company to remove such content immediately and explain the alleged lapses within seven days. Sources informed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has instructed the social media giant to disable all the content that promote or facilitate access to CSEAM on Instagram.
The move has been seen as the government’s broader efforts to curb the circulation of child sexual abuse material online and ensure greater compliance by digital platforms.
The Centre’s notice comes after a media investigation reported that Instagram displayed paid advertisements containing phrases such as rape video and child video. According to the report, these advertisements allegedly redirected users to Telegram channels where child sexual abuse material was being offered for sale.
According to the detailed investigation report, a test Instagram account created in India began receiving sexually explicit advertisements after following a limited number of accounts posting suggestive content.
The report allegedly claimed that the account later received advertisements depicting children in sexually suggestive situations, with links directing users to Telegram channels. It also claimed that around 30 unique advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material were identified, along with approximately 20 advertisements featuring adult pornographic content.
Following queries raised during the investigation, Meta replied that it had disabled several advertisements, suspended the advertiser accounts involved and removed additional content found to be violating its policies.
The company acknowledged that no moderation system is flawless and said some policy-violating content may evade detection. It added that its systems continue to monitor advertisements even after they are published and that users can report content that breaches its community standards.
Meta also said that whenever it becomes aware of apparent child exploitation, it reports the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in accordance with applicable laws.
However, MeitY has directed Meta to remove all advertisements and content that facilitate access to CSEAM and submit a detailed explanation within seven days regarding the alleged lapses identified on Instagram.