India Cracks Down on Meta Over Child Sexual Abuse Material in Instagram Ads
In Focus
- A media investigation showed child sexual abuse ads appeared on Instragram paid promotions
- Indian government ordered Meta to provide an explanation within a week
- India has not announced any financial penalties against Meta
India has ordered Meta to disable ads and content that facilitate or promote Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on Instagram. The directive follows a BBC Eye investigation that found paid promotions on Instagram included child abuse ads.
“The government has issued a stern notice to Meta over child sexual exploitative and abuse material appearing in paid advertisements on Instagram. The government has sought a detailed explanation from Meta within seven days,” A senior government official in India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT said as cited by the BBC.
How Did Meta Respond to India’s Order?
Meta has a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse content and it continues to enhance detection and protection capabilities. Responding to India’s notice on Meta ads, a company spokesperson said the social media giant uses technology to detect violations.
“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 noted.
In April, the European Commission said Meta had failed to keep under-13 users off Instagram and Facebook. Preliminary findings from the EU’s Meta investigation found that flaws in Meta’s systems violated the Digital Services Act (DSA). If the EU upholds the findings, the social media giant could be fined up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
New Order Increases Regulatory Scrutiny Over Meta
The Instagram ads controversy in India does not pose an immediate risk of a fine for Meta. However, it places the company under regulatory scrutiny in its largest market. As of 2025, over 480 million people in India were using Instagram. The country also has more than 400 million Facebook users, making it Meta’s largest Facebook market globally..
Beyond the Instagram content moderation issue, India halted the rollout of WhatsApp’s username feature over potential online fraud last week. A communication from the IT Ministry directed WhatsApp to provide details about the new feature within three days.
The government argued that the feature could contribute to a rise in cybercrime and instructed the platform to suspend its rollout. Meta, however, maintained that usernames are an important privacy tool, saying they allow users to connect with others without having to share their phone numbers.
In recent months, India has tightened scrutiny over social media platforms. In May, the country banned Telegram temporarily after the platform was allegedly used to deceive students taking the national medical entrance examination.
What the Instagram Order Means for Meta
The directive represents another regulatory challenge for Meta in one of its most important markets. Meta must demonstrate that its AI-powered detection systems are effective in protecting under-age users online. The move could also shape how regulators assess future Meta products and safety measures in India.
