Meta Reaffirms Child Safety Measures After MeitY Notice Over Instagram Ads

Meta on Tuesday outlined its efforts to combat Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) across its platforms, days after receiving a MeitY notice over alleged policy-violating advertisements on Instagram.

In a blog post, the company described child exploitation as a " horrific crime " and said it is strengthening safeguards through AI-powered detection , enhanced ad reviews, and cooperation with law enforcement. Meta said its AI systems now support languages spoken by 98 per cent of internet users , enabling broader enforcement.

The company said it removed over four million suspicious accounts and 36 million pieces of child exploitation content globally last year. In India, AI tools helped remove 1.6 lakh accounts in the past six months for posting suspicious links linked to exploitative activity.

Meta also rejected allegations that it deliberately targeted users with inappropriate ads involving children, calling such claims "categorically inaccurate." It said several violating ads and accounts had already been identified and disabled before the recent cases came to light, with additional ads, accounts and URLs removed during a subsequent investigation.

The government's notice followed reports alleging that paid advertisements on Instagram and Facebook promoted terms related to child sexual abuse and redirected users to Telegram channels where such content was reportedly sold. MeitY has directed Meta to remove all such content and submit a detailed explanation within seven days.

The developments come amid growing regulatory scrutiny of digital platforms over online child safety and content moderation. Meta reiterated its zero-tolerance policy , saying it reports suspected cases to law enforcement, publishes transparency reports, and works with industry partners to combat online child exploitation.