Meta said it acted on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content on Facebook and Instagram in India between January and June 2026, with more than 98% detected and addressed proactively before users reported them. The disclosure, made on October 7, comes amid heightened scrutiny of social media platforms in India over child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including allegations involving paid advertisements on Instagram. Globally, Meta said it actioned 33.2 million such pieces during the same period, with more than 97% detected proactively.
The company has now introduced additional artificial intelligence tools to identify advertisements that appear harmless but may direct users towards illegal child abuse material hosted outside its platforms. Meta has also committed to reporting child safety cases directly to India’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), reflecting growing pressure on technology platforms to work more closely with Indian authorities.
Meta Expands AI Systems
Meta said online predators are increasingly attempting to evade moderation by using advertisements that may look innocuous but contain links or other signals directing users to illegal material hosted elsewhere. In response, the company has introduced large language model-based systems to identify what it describes as “signposting”, where apparently harmless advertisements may be connected to prohibited activity. It has also expanded automated checks to assess where advertisements lead, rather than examining only their visible content, while using AI-powered sweeps and a red-teaming AI agent to identify weaknesses in its own safeguards.
Meta said it also investigates beyond individual reports, disabling accounts and blocking links associated with abusive activity. “Keeping young people safe on our apps is among the most important work we do, and it never stops,” the company said.
Meta Expands AI Systems As Predators Shift Tactics
The latest disclosure follows a series of developments in India this year. In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta over reports of Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting or facilitating access to child sexual abuse material, directing the platform to disable such content and explain how it had appeared on the service. The government later said social media companies must comply with India’s legal framework and take stronger measures to prevent unlawful material from spreading online.
In September, Meta committed to directly reporting child safety cases to I4C, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, strengthening the connection between platform-level detection and Indian law enforcement. The government has said its approach is intended to ensure that platforms follow Indian laws and that online harms, particularly those affecting children, are addressed swiftly.
India’s Crackdown Has Increased Pressure On Platforms
The scale of the material detected is deeply concerning, even as the high rate of proactive detection shows why strong technology and effective moderation systems matter. However, protecting children online cannot rest on algorithms alone. Platforms must combine AI with meaningful human oversight, transparent reporting, rapid cooperation with law enforcement and safeguards that prevent harmful material from resurfacing.
At the same time, governments, technology companies, parents, educators and civil society must work together to create safer digital spaces without losing sight of privacy and legitimate expression. Every child deserves to grow up without being exploited or turned into a target by online networks. What more should technology companies and governments do together to make the internet genuinely safer for children?
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