NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Instagram ran paid promotional content in India that encouraged access to child sexual abuse materials, prompting regulatory and Meta responses. Several of these advertisements directed users to Telegram channels offering illicit content for a fee. Authorities identified approximately 30 distinct ads linked to such material, with some ads appearing across multiple advertiser accounts. Meta later acknowledged that these ads breached its child exploitation policies and took steps to remove further ads, accounts, and links associated with the content.
Investigators set up an Instagram account in India and monitored 10 profiles featuring sexually suggestive posts. Within days, paid ads for explicit adult content started appearing, followed by ads showing children in sexually suggestive scenarios and directing traffic outside Instagram. Several links led to Telegram channels offering illegal material for as little as 99 rupees. The investigation revealed that banned content had infiltrated Instagram’s advertising system despite the platform’s review and enforcement efforts.
One ad involving a young child was flagged through Instagram’s internal reporting feature. Initially, Instagram responded that the ad did not violate community standards. Meta later confirmed that its systems had already detected some offending ads and disabled the related accounts. After investigators provided additional evidence, Meta reviewed further material and subsequently removed more ads, deactivated additional accounts, and blocked URLs that violated its child sexual exploitation policies.
India Questions Platform Over Ad Oversight
Following the public release of the findings in July, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology responded by instructing action against ads and content promoting access to child sexual exploitation and abuse. It also inquired into how such advertising bypassed Instagram’s safety measures. The Indian government later stated it had taken the reports very seriously and demanded a detailed response from the platform under India’s online safety and platform compliance regulations.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights issued notices to social media companies regarding this issue and later launched an investigation involving Meta. Indian law mandates that online intermediaries must address unlawful content and material that endangers children. The Information Technology Act and its rules impose specific responsibilities on major digital platforms operating domestically, while the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act offers additional legal protections against minors’ sexual exploitation and abuse.
Meta’s Actions and Ongoing Child Protection Probe
Meta states it employs automated systems to detect accounts exhibiting suspicious activity involving minors. The company reported removing over 4 million Facebook and Instagram accounts globally in 2025 due to potentially suspicious conduct. It also eliminated millions of pieces of child exploitation content across its platforms. In India alone, Meta indicated that its systems targeting suspicious off-platform links led to 160,000 account deletions over a six-month period. Its advertising policies explicitly forbid content that exploits, endangers, or sexualizes children.
Telegram has also taken action by removing channels linked to child sexual abuse material identified through enforcement efforts. The company claimed to have deleted more than 274,000 groups and channels connected to such content during 2026. Indian authorities are scrutinizing how illegal advertisements managed to reach users through paid promotions and whether platform safeguards adhered to legal standards. Meta has acknowledged the presence of offending ads and asserts it has acted against related accounts, advertisements, and links. As of August 7, the Indian child protection inquiry remains ongoing.