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India orders Meta to remove Instagram ads promoting child sex abuse content
Meta has been given 7 days to submit an explanation of advertisements that allegedly directed users to external platforms hosting child sexual abuse material
- PUBLISHED: Sun 5 Jul 2026, 11:22 AM
- By:
- ANI
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will summon a Meta representative after an investigative report claimed that Instagram, the social media platform run by Meta, was running advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse.
The distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence in India under digital laws. According to sources, the minister has taken cognisance of reports that Instagram showcased objectionable material promoting child sexual abuse and has directed officials to seek a response from Meta.
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In the notice to Meta, the government ordered Instagram to disable all advertisements and content promoting or facilitating access to child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM).
7-day notice to Meta over Instagram ads
The Indian government has given Meta seven days to submit a detailed explanation of advertisements that allegedly directed users to external platforms hosting child sexual abuse material.
The ministry also said that it views the alleged algorithmic amplification of sexually exploitative content with the utmost seriousness and has directed Meta to take immediate corrective measures.
The investigation into child sex abuse content
A BBC Eye investigation said that Instagram hosted paid adverts with objectionable terms like "rape video" and "child video" with links to other Social Media channels where they can be purchased.
The report also said that after it reported one such advertisement, Instagram initially replied that it did not breach the platform's community standards.
Meta later said that it had disabled several adverts and suspended the accounts posting them.
The BBC created a new Instagram account after noticing the platform recommended sexually suggestive content even when the user had not searched for such material. The recommendations included posts by women in India sharing content about food, weather and their daily lives. Many of the posts featured revealing clothing and sexual innuendo.
Under Section 67 (B) of the IT Act, it is a punishable offence to publish or transmit material depicting children in sexually explicit acts, etc., in electronic form.
Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) refers to material containing sexual images in any form of a child who is abused or sexually exploited, according to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.